Leave Me Lying Here
by Drace929
Summary: Will he be able to stand by and watch his best friend make the biggest mistake of her life? Will his loyalty to his job outweigh his loyalty to her?
1. Summer or Winter

**Summer or Winter**

* * *

April Jeanette sat behind the desk of the courthouse in awe as she listened to the District Attorney embarrass the criminal on the stand before them. She shook her head so she wouldn't look like a high school girl with a crush. The new DA- Bradford Hamilton was just 32 years old, smart, attractive, assertive, well spoken and intelligent. He was everything she wanted a man and sometimes it was hard to believe that he was in fact hers. She kept her eyes on Bradford and the witness but twirled her engagement ring that rested on her left hand.

Bradford was tall, slim, slicked back brown hair and spoke with a slight accent since he was from Kentucky. He wasn't clean shaved he had a slight shadow on his face and that was AJ's favorite. He was truly her dream man. She was the kind of man she wouldn't even dare dream about because she knew he would be out of her league. Not only was smart and handsome but he was romantic as hell. AJ wasn't a big one for romance but she blushed every time he presented her with a gift which was often, he would take her to restaurants that she couldn't even pronounce and he would spoil her with spa days.

"We got him." Bradford whispered as he sat down next to AJ who smirked smugly.

"You did." She whispered back looking down at her notes.

"Nah, team work." he smirked winking at her then they both listened to the judge.

AJ had met Bradford when they were both working for the former District Attorney three years ago. AJ wouldn't call it love at first sight, they only began dating a year ago and he proposed three months ago. She used to think he was a bit of a bully. He didn't really speak to anyone at the office and was always very focused on the job but they ended up working on putting together a case a year ago and they spent a lot of time together and ended up dating and falling in love. At least for AJ she did. Through her eyes he was completely perfect and he lowered his standards to be with her.

"That was fun." AJ smirked as they walked out of the court room.

"We need to get you out more." Bradford laughed as they walked right past the press.

"You should take me out more." She said hopefully.

"You're right." Bradford said to her opening the door of the courthouse for her.

"I usually am." She teased.

"I've been busy with this case and I pulled you on it. I promise a fun date night." Bradford assured her.

"Tonight?" She asked hopefully.

"I can't tonight baby." he frowned. "I have a meeting with the chief of police, remember?"

"Oh yea that's right." She said to him then shrugged. "Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow." He promised grabbing her hand once they were out of sight and walked towards the parking garage.

"I really want to sit down this weekend and pick a date or at least a season for the wedding." She said looking up at him and he looked straight ahead.

"I'd like that." he said in a chipper voice. "What were you thinking?"

"I like the idea of a warmer wedding. Maybe outside?" she suggested.

"Yea? I always thought more of a winter one. Outside is going to be tough. We have a lot of guests. A church then reception at a hotel or something." He said to her.

"A lot of guests?" She asked. "I thought we were going to do a small wedding?"

"I mean small for us is close to 300 guests. I can't slight anyone AJ, I'm a big name out here." He reminded her.

"I thought just the two of us and your family and my friends." She said to him. "Intimate."

"Intimate isn't ideal." he said to her. "You know I have a lot of people to please here."

"Yea." She forced out smiling. "It's fine. I just won't have many people to contribute."

"Don't worry about that." Bradford said placing his arm around her shoulders and kissing the top of her head. "You have plenty of friends."

"I do, just not a lot of family." She reminded him.

"That's ok, no one is going to take count." He laughed. "This is about us, not anyone else. Inviting all of these politicians and stuff is just work."

"You're right." she agreed.

* * *

Later that night AJ walked into the bar still dressed from court and threw her bag on the bar.

"A glass of white wine." she ordered.

"Sure thing AJ." The bartender smirked pouring her a glass.

"Rough day?" a voice teased and she looked over to see one of her oldest friends.

"What would you know about rough days, Phil?" She asked with a laugh sitting in the stool next to him.

"I'm a cop sweetheart, everyday is rough." he said to her.

"How come she can call you Phil?" His partner Cody asked from the other side of Punk.

The bar was a 'cop bar' for sure. It was always filled with the guys and gals of the local station, even people who worked in the court system such as AJ and even Bradford.

"She's known me since before I was Punk." Punk reminded him.

Punk and AJ weren't strangers. He was her closest friend, there was no one in the world she trusted more then Punk. There were things he knew about her that not even Bradford knew. They grew up in the same Chicago apartment building, just one floor apart. AJ was a few years younger and the neighborhood wasn't great so Punk would walk her to school when he could and when she was real young and her mom worked late, she would stay with Punk and his mom.

He went off and became a cop and by the time he was promoted to Detective AJ was passing the bar and trying to get into the DA's office. It was Punk who was a friend of the old DA's who actually put in a good word for her and helped her achieve her goal. They did butt heads once in a while over cases, actually a lot but they always left work at work, at least tried to.

"Yea, I prefer Phil." She smirked getting comfortable.

"Where's Brad?" Punk asked taking a sip of his drink.

"Bradford." She corrected. "He hates when you call him that."

"I know." Punk grinned. "I like pissing him off."

"Why do you insist on pissing off every boyfriend in my life?" she asked him.

"He's a bully." Cody said to her seriously.

"I am." Punk agreed and she rolled her eyes. "Seriously, where is he?"

"He had a dinner meeting." She said to him and he just nodded.

"He puts a ring on your finger and now you see him even less." Punk pointed out.

"Why don't you like him?" She asked with a sigh. "I need my two best guys to get along."

"I do get along with him." Punk replied defensively. "Professionally he's great at his job and for this City."

"Personally?" she asked.

"Personally, I think he needs to spend a little more time with the woman he plans on marrying." he said to her. "You've been here every night. I'm not even here every night. That's sad."

"Yea I noticed you haven't been around often, catching up with Beth?" She asked curiously.

"I don't know what you're talking about." he laughed then took a sip of his drink.

"Yea, I thought I saw you two leaving here the other night before I came in. That a smart idea?" she asked.

"Don't judge me." He mocked. "Worry about your own relationship."

"I'm not judging!" AJ laughed. "It's just, you told me she scared you." She teased.

"I didn't say scare." He laughed nervously as Cody listened intently. "She's intimidating, sure." he shrugged. "But she works at my gym and after a work out I like another."

"Right." AJ scoffed sipping her wine.

"So, how goes the wedding planning?" He asked curiously.

"We're going to start planning soon." She said to him looking at her glass.

"Why does that make you sad?" He asked curiously.

"It doesn't. It just turns out we have two completely different views on what we wanted for the wedding." She confided. "I wanted a summer wedding or at least a warmer one outside, he wants one in the winter and in church."

"You're not religious." Punk pointed out. "Does he know this?"

"Of course he does. But his family and the people of Chicago don't." She told him.

"Who gives a fuck?" Punk scoffed. "It's about what you want. Weddings are always about the woman."

"They are not." She laughed. "It's not just that, the wedding is just a reminder I don't have a family to invite."

"That's not true." Punk argued. "I'm family, I'll be there."

"You know what I mean." she said to him. "Blood family."

"You are inviting Bonnie, right?" He asked slowly, Bonnie was AJ's mom. Bonnie wasn't a bad person but she was a bit of aloof and neglectful of AJ.

"I didn't even tell her I was engaged. I haven't spoken to her weeks. She texted me around the holidays but that was it." She told him.

"Ape." He said disappointed shaking his head.

"She's not your mom. You don't get it." She insisted.

"Does Bradford know about your father?" Punk questioned and AJ turned her attention back to her glass of wine. "Does he know anything about you?"

"Stop." She sighed.

"Hasn't he ever asked about your parents?" Punk asked her.

"Of course. He's very interested in me." She defended. "I was honest about Bonnie and my dad- for the most part. I just told him I never met my father which is the truth."

"But you know where he is." Punk pointed out.

"He didn't ask me that." AJ shrugged.

"If you can't be honest with him-" Punk began.

"I am honest." She insisted. "You know how I am when it comes to my family drama, I don't like to share it."

"You should be with someone who knows everything. Because he's not going to understand how you need endless amounts of donuts when your mom stops in for a visit, or how you much you hate fathers day." he said to her and she gave him a sad smile.

"Why don't you like Bradford?" She asked him.

"I do like him, I just told you this." he laughed. "But liking him in his job and liking him for you is a different story. I just want you to be happy Ape."

"I know. But I am, so worry more about your issues." She said to him.

"I'm issue free." He laughed.

"Must be nice to not have any baggage." she remarked and he just shrugged.

"I just live carefree. Not attachment, not drama." He said to her. "My job is dramatic enough, so is yours."

"We've gotta go Punk." Cody said to him and Punk nodded throwing money down on the bar.

"You wan a ride home?" Punk asked.

"No." She told him. "I'm meeting Maria."

"Sure." Punk said to her. "Don't drink too much." He warned.

As Punk and Cody walked out, AJ's friend Maria walked in. AJ noticed Punk do a double take as Maria passed by him and checked her out before leaving the bar and a brief hello.

"Where are they going?" Maria asked taking the seat Punk was in.

"Work." She said to her. "He was checking you out."

"It was a cover." Maria laughed waving over to the bartender and pointing at AJ's drink, she wanted the same.

"Why do you say that? He's been trying to take you out since you turned 18." AJ reminded her.

Maria and AJ were best friends growing up, not as close as her and Punk but closest girlfriends. They went to school together since kindergarten up until they graduated from High School.

"It's a cover." Maria repeated. "He may be attracted to me but he wants you. I've said since we were kids and the older we get the more I believe it."

"He needs a good woman in his life and you're a good woman." AJ insisted and Maria laughed.

"First of all, he is not my type. Second of all, he wants you and I'm not filling that void." Maria said to her seriously as the bartender bought over her glass.

"I'm getting married." AJ reminded her.

"Yea." Maria laughed. "We'll see how long that lasts."

"Why do you keep saying that?" AJ frowned.

"Bradford is a wonderful man." Maria assured her. "But if you think you're going to make it to the alter with him or Punk is going to let that happen, you're nuts. When have you ever been with a man that Punk liked?"

"He's just protective, like a brother or father." AJ said to her and Maria let out a laugh.

"No honey." Maria shook her head. "You are to naive! The man is in love with you."

"He doesn't fall in love." AJ corrected.

"He does and he has." Maria said to her simply.

"Enough about this. I need you to help me convince Bradford for a summer wedding." AJ said looking at her phone.

"I thought that was the plan? This summer something small?" Maria asked confused.

"It was but now he wants something different, winter." She told her. "And big."

"So instead of a few months you'd have to wait a whole year?" Maria asked skeptically. "And big so he can show you off like a trophy?"

"Bradford already feels like none of my friends like him and I think he's right." AJ said looking at her.

"I like him but I love you." Maria said to her. "And I'm sure he doesn't care what me and Punk think of him."

"He does care, he's more sensitive than you know." AJ said to her and Maria rolled her eyes. "I need you all to get along."

"We did get along." Maria insisted. "I just want you to have everything you want."

"Bradford is everything that I want. He makes me happy." AJ told her.

"Good." Maria said to her with a smile.

* * *

Punk and Cody were parked in a motel parking lot sitting on a witness for a potential case. The suspect was spotted coming into the motel and there was no telling which room he went into or when he'd leave so they'd have to wait it out.

"This is going to take forever." Cody groaned.

"You have somewhere else to be?" Punk asked sitting behind the drivers seat holding a cup of coffee.

"Yea, I had a date." Cody said to him. "Not all of us want to be alone."

"I don't want to be alone and I'm not alone." Punk defended.

"Beth is mean." Cody cringed.

"She's really fit and can go all night." Punk retorted.

"AJ seems fit." Cody noted sipping his coffee and Punk glared at him.

"Don't say shit like that, she's getting married- fuck off." Punk warned him.

"Not for me." Cody laughed. "I would never step on your toes like that."

"It's not my toes it's our esteemed district attorney's toes you'd be stepping on." Punk pointed out.

"I just always thought you'd end up with her." Cody shrugged.

"She's like family." Punk said to him. "I don't see her that way."

"I think you do." Cody said to him and Punk laughed.

"You don't know me that well. I can't even picture her in anyway other than platonic." Punk told him. "I've known her since she was a baby."

"She's not a baby anymore." Cody noted subtly and Punk eyed him. "I'm just saying she's very attractive."

"Her and Brad make a great looking couple." Punk said keeping his eyes on the motel as he sipped his coffee again.

"They'll have cute kids." Cody agreed and Punk just nodded without saying a word. "You know, they-"

"Why are you pressing me on this?" Punk asked him.

"Just trying to make conversation." Cody shrugged.

"Right." he muttered. "Maybe this night will go faster if you don't talk so much?"

"Doubt it." Cody said sitting back.

A couple of hours later Punk had actually drifted off into a light sleep while Cody stayed awake, they'd switch on and off throughout the night since it would be a long one.

"Punk." Cody said calmly lightly tapping his arm awake.

"Yea." Punk muttered waking up quickly. "He's out?"

"Not him." Cody said nodding straight ahead and Punk squinted his eyes and saw Bradford Hamilton himself leaving a motel room tucking his shirt into his pants and glancing around before getting into his car.

"Want to stop him?" Cody asked Punk who kept his eyes on the car as it pulled out of the lot.

"No. We have a case." Punk said simply as he glared at the vehicle speeding out of the lot.

"Weird stuff." Cody noted.

"Does it even surprise you?" Punk asked him seriously. "Everyone is fucking corrupt in this City. District Attorney is no different."

"Going to tell AJ?" Cody asked.

Punk ignored the question and shifted in his sit.

"You can get some sleep now." Punk said to him. "I'll stay up."

"Alright." Cody said to him.

* * *

AJ was sleeping in bed when she heard the shower go on and lifted her head. She looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand and saw it was it was almost two in the morning. She rolled onto her back and looked up at her ceiling until the shower went off and Bradford strolled into the bedroom.

"I hope I didn't wake you." Bradford frowned getting into the bed.

"No." She lied shaking her head. "You're home really late."

"Lost track of time." Bradford said to her. "I'm sorry honey." he said kissing her cheek.

"It's alright." AJ said and she felt him use his fingers to gently turn her face to look at him.

"What's on your mind pretty?" Bradford asked curiously.

"Just thinking about wedding stuff." She said to him.

"So have I actually." Bradford said to her. "And I've changed my mind. I want what you want."

"Really?" She asked and he nodded.

"Our wedding is supposed to be about us, no one else. And I don't want to wait a year." Bradford admitted. "Fuck politics as usual, let's do what we want."

"Really?" AJ asked in a giddy voice and she rolled on top of him.

"Yes." Bradford said to her. "I just want you to be my wife. I want you to be Mrs. Hamilton already."

"What about the church thing?" She asked.

"We don't need to get married in a church. I'll marry you in this bedroom if that's what you want." He smirked and she leaned down and kissed him.

"I love you Mr. Hamilton." AJ smiled nuzzling her nose against his.

"I love you more soon to be Mrs. Hamilton." Bradford responded then rolled her under his body...

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Hi! I'm back. I'm giving this a whirl. I didn't do the disclaimer or authors note at the top because I wanted you to have a chance to read it.**

 **And I know what you're thinking, Punk is a cop again? I know, it's been done by me a lot but I'm a fan of crime drama's but this is a bit different giving that him and AJ are on equal footing. This is going to be a little more light and friends with benefits sort of feel.**

 **Anyways, let's see how this goes...**

 **Disclaimer- I own none of the characters except for the weirdo's.**

 **The story is also Rated M for reasons such as language and...well ya know.**

 **Let me know what you think!**


	2. Out Of My Life

**Out Of My Life**

* * *

Punk had to go to the DA's office to follow up on a case but he wasn't going to leave without stopping in to see the esteemed District Attorney himself. He was a busy man, but of respect to AJ he always tried to make time to see Punk when he swung by the office looking to discuss a case.

"I know why you're here." Bradford said from behind his desk that had files stacked all over it. "I have my best ADA working the Veronica case."

"That's not why I'm here, good to know though." Punk smirked closing his office door behind him. "This is personal or maybe it has to do with someone breaking the law, depends on the answer you give me."

"What's going on Detective Brooks?" Bradford asked with a smirk.

"I'm going to ask you a question and I want you to be honest with me, if you're not honest with me I'm going to find out and I won't be able to stop the world from crashing down around you." Punk warned him and Bradford's face slowly turned to a frown.

"This sounds serious." Bradford said adjusting in his seat and giving Punk his full attention.

"What were you doing at the Shay Motel last night?" Punk asked him. "And don't tell me you weren't there." he warned.

"Were you following me?" Bradford chuckled.

"No. I was working a case." He told him. "Stakeout, took all night. My partner and I saw you leaving at around 1:30 in the morning."

"It's classified information but out of respect to AJ I will tell you that I was there meeting a witness for my case who we have hiding out there." Bradford told him. "I can't and won't tell you who."

"Really?" Punk asked with a laugh. "You were tucking your shirt into your pants. You undress often for these meetings?"

"I used the bathroom before I left." Bradford said to him. "Wait a minute, you don't think I was stepping out on AJ do you?"

"I do." Punk told him honestly.

"I would never do that." Bradford assured him but Punk still didn't seen convinced.

"Why did you tell AJ you were doing something different?" Punk asked. "She works on your team, does she not?"

"She does but this case is classified and the location of the witness." Bradford said to him. "I'll tell her myself. It's nothing to worry about."

"I am worried." Punk said to him seriously. "Why would you set a witness up at the Shay? That's where dirt bags go with prostitutes. I've been in Vice for years, I know this for a fact."

"That's exactly why my male witness was put there. Nobody would think to look there." Bradford smiled. "It's nothing."

"I'm going to tell AJ I saw you." Punk warned him.

"That's fine." Bradford said to him with ease. "I have nothing to hide. I wouldn't have asked AJ to marry me if I wasn't ready for a wife."

"Right." Punk said standing up.

"I know you two share a bond." Bradford said to him. "You love her like a sister and you want to protect her but you don't have to protect her from me. As a matter of fact you don't have to protect her at all, I'm going to be taking over that role."

"Yea I guess so." Punk said standing up. "Even though I'm never going to stop protecting her. I'll be watching you."

"I wouldn't expect anything less." Bradford chuckled. "Have a good day, Punk."

"You too, Mr. District Attorney." Punk remarked then walked out of his office.

* * *

Before leaving the building he passed AJ's office and poked his head in.

"I heard you were in the office." AJ smiled taking her glasses off. "What are you working on?"

"A few things." Punk said walking into her office. "You have time for lunch?"

"Not really." She frowned.

"Dinner?" He asked and she shook her head.

"I have plans with Bradford." She said to him. "Is everything ok? I have a few minutes I can spare for you."

"How generous." He mocked walking into her office.

"What's going on Phil?" She frowned sensing he seemed upset.

"I was working a stakeout last night and I saw Brad leaving the Shay Motel." He said to her and she seemed confused. "I spoke to him about it, said he has a witness stashed there. I don't know, I'm sure that's it but I thought you should know."

"Thank you for telling me." She replied stiffly. "I'm sure that was it."

"Yea." Punk said to her. "I mean I just get paranoid when it comes to you-"

"Thank you for looking out for me." She said to him as she thought about it.

"Something wrong?" He asked.

"Not really." She said putting on a smile and he eyed her. "He came home and showered right away. I thought it was weird. He usually showers in the morning to wake himself up."

"How often is he out late?" he asked.

"With his hours it happens a lot. I was going to ask him about it but we got caught up." She shrugged then looked at Punk.

"What?" he asked almost not wanting to know what she was about to ask.

"Well, you're a guy." She noted and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"What gave it away?" he asked seriously and she giggled.

"If he had just had sex with someone at the motel I'm sure he wouldn't have come home and slept with me." She said to him. "Do guys do that?"

"I don't know what you're getting at here Ape." He remarked nervously scratching the back of his head.

"Is that something men commonly do?" She asked.

"I don't know everyone is different." Punk said to her. "I could tell you from my moral code, I wouldn't have sex with my fiancee within the same hour of sleeping with a different woman. But everyone is different."

"He told me last night he wanted to marry me soon." She told him. "It kind of took me by surprise."

"Like he had done something wrong and was trying to make it up to you?" he asked and she nodded sadly.

"I have to talk to him." She said to him.

"You should. And don't just buy whatever it is he is saying." Punk instructed.

"I'm not an idiot Phil." She sighed.

"I know that." He said quickly. "But this isn't just some boyfriend. You're planning on spending the rest of you life with him and you can't do that until you're comfortable."

"Yea." she agreed standing up and walking over to him. "Thank you for being honest."

"You know I always am with you." He said pulling her into a hug. "If you need me to beat him up just give me a call, ok?"

"Ok." She laughed with a shaky voice.

"AJ." Bradford announced walking into her office and seeing her in an embrace with Punk. "I think we need to have a word."

"Or two." AJ said pulling away.

"Want me to stay?" Punk asked AJ.

"No, we've got this." Bradford said to Punk who just looked at AJ and waited for her response.

"Ape?" he asked.

"No. I'll call you later." She said giving Punk a kiss on the cheek.

"Good luck, Brad." Punk said to him then walked out of the office.

"I told you AJ, I was there meeting a potential witness for the Deelaney case." Bradford sighed as AJ sat behind her desk with her arms folded.

"Why did you come home and shower?" She asked him.

"I smelled!" He laughed. "And the witness was a male, trust me sweetheart there's nothing going on between me and anyone else. Even if I wanted to cheat on you, which I don't, I wouldn't have the time!" he laughed loudly.

"You've been out late constantly." She reminded him.

"Working. I'm here most of the time." Bradford defended. "Being a District Attorney is very time consuming, I thought you understood this aspect of the job?"

"I do." AJ said to him as her voice softened.

"I want to marry you." Bradford said to her. "There's no other women for me. You know this by now."

"It's just last night seemed all too coincidental." AJ had to admit.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but Detective Brooks doesn't like me very much." Bradford laughed.

"That's not true." AJ said shaking her head.

"Oh it's true AJ." Bradford said seriously. "I don't blame him though. He blew a shot with you years ago and he can't forgive himself."

"That's not it." AJ said to him. "We're not like that-"

"He likes you and I'm not talking about a brother/sister like either. Maybe he's a little jealous and that's why he causing this issue?" Bradford suggested.

"That's not it." AJ argued.

"It is. It's either he really likes you and resents me or he's jealous that you're getting married and he's not." Bradford said to him.

"Or maybe he was just looking out for me." AJ shrugged. "He's always going to look after me it's what he does. He's done it since I was a kid. He helped me get into this office-"

"Yes I'm fully aware of your history and admiration for Detective Brooks." Bradford said cutting her off. "It's a bit much. You're not kids anymore."

"He's part of my life." AJ told him. "He wants the best for me."

"And he doesn't think that's me." Bradford said to her. "What's going to happen when we get married? Are you always going to take his side?"

"I'm not taking sides." AJ argued.

"You are and you always do. Even when it comes to cases and you know he's wrong you defend him and take his side over mine." Bradford reminded her. "You're marrying me, not him."

"I know." AJ said to him. "He's part of my life though, you understand that, right?"

"I do." Bradford nodded. "Just like I know you understand there are going to be nights I work late and that doesn't mean I'm cheating on you."

"I do." She agreed quickly. She just wanted to get off the topic of Punk.

"I love you, AJ." Bradford said cupping her face gently.

"I love you too." She smiled slightly.

"Tonight we're going to get out of here early and have a good night, ok?" he said to her and she nodded.

He ended the conversation with a sweet kiss on her lips then walked out of her office.

* * *

"He's cheating on her?" Maria demanded to know from Cody. They were at the local bar that night and he was filling Maria in on spotting Bradford.

"Punk was going to handle it. I don't know." Cody said and Maria began to stand up. "Where are you going?"

"To beat the crap out of that lying two faced son of a bitch." Maria spat.

"Who?" Punk asked walking over.

"Bradford is cheating on AJ?" Maria asked Punk, he shot Cody a glare and he just shrugged in defense.

"He was meeting a witness." Punk told them sitting at their table.

"So he says." Cody muttered sipping his beer.

"I told AJ and she's a smart girl, she'll talk to him." Punk told them.

"If he's cheating-" Maria began.

"Relax." Punk said to her. "If he's cheating on her she'll take care of it."

"Right." Maria scoffed. "Says the guy who beat up her prom date."

"She called me from the hotel room that he forced her into." Punk reminded her angrily. "He's lucky I didn't kill him."

"He didn't force her in there she chickened out." Maria scoffed.

"That's not the point." Punk said to her. "AJ is a big girl and we butt out of it."

"Really? Are you capable of that?" Maria asked him.

"Of course I am. If I didn't want to I would have stayed when they spoke." Punk shrugged.

"If this turns out to be a misunderstanding have you accepted that you're relationship with AJ is going to change?" Maria questioned.

"Why would it change?" Punk asked.

"Because you two are very close and most husbands don't like that sort of thing." Maria pointed out.

"I'm apart of AJ's life whether Brad likes it or not." Punk told them. "We're family. There's nothing to not like about it."

"Family." Cody scoffed.

"Tell him." Punk said to Maria. "You grew up with AJ, you've known me your whole life too."  
Maria just twirled the straw in her drink and looked away.

"What?" Punk asked her. "Are you fucking kidding?"

"Come on Punk." Maria laughed. "You're at least attracted to her."

"I am not." He defended. "She's-"

"Don't say family again." Cody warned.

"You're telling me if AJ approached you butt naked and threw herself at you, you would have no reaction?" Maria asked him and Cody nearly choked on his drink.

"I'm not into AJ and even I would have reaction." Cody said to Punk.

"There would be no reaction because it's not like that with her!" he yelled. "Can we stop fucking discussing it."

"Discussing what?" AJ asked appearing behind him.

"Work." Punk said uncomfortably.

"How did it go?" Maria asked.

"You told her?" AJ asked him.

"I did." Cody said to her.

"It was a misunderstanding." AJ said to them and Punk eyed her.

"You sure about that?" he asked her.

"Yes." She told him. "He was meeting a witness, just like he told you."

"Right." Punk nodded and Cody subtly rolled his eyes.

"Don't be like that." AJ sighed. "This is the happiest time of my life. I even called Bonnie to tell her I'm getting married."

"You called your mom? You really must be excited." Maria whistled.

"I did." AJ said proudly. "And I called Jenny."

"Why did you call my mom?" Punk scoffed.

"Because she's just as much my mom as Bonnie is, if not more." AJ told him. "This is really happening guys so I need all of your support."

"You got it." Maria forced out.

"Good. I need my maid of honor on board." AJ said to her. "But the reason I'm here is for you." She said looking at Punk who looked back up at her. "I need a favor."

"Anything." He said to her.

"Walk me down the aisle?" She requested and his face fell. "I know it's weird but you're the only male figure I've had in my life. And if anyone should give me away, it should be you."

"Give you away?" he repeated and she nodded.

"Ready for that?" Maria teased sipping her drink.

"I'll think about it Ape." He said to her and she frowned.

"Why would you have to think about it?" She asked.

"It's just- I don't do church's." He said to her.

"We're not doing the church anymore and even if I was who cares? This is me." she said growing angry. "Phil, you're the only family I truly have. Both of you." She said looking at Maria.

"You have us." Maria assured her. "Right Punk?" she asked giving him a hard kick under the table.

"Yea, you got it." Punk forced out rubbing his leg.

"I want you to do it for me not because you feel guilty." She said to him. "Don't worry about it. I'll walk myself down the aisle. I have to go meet Bradford." She said turning around and leaving.

"What's your problem?" Maria asked.

"Nothing." Punk said standing up. "That kick fucking hurt, assaulting a police officer is a serious crime."

"Shut up." Maria mocked sipping her drink.

"Where are you going?" Cody asked.

"I left something at work." Punk said to him and walked out of the bar.

Punk saw AJ walking down the street so he made sure to go the opposite way to get his car in the parking garage.

* * *

Punk drove thirty minutes to where the motel was located and parked where he and Cody parked the previous night. He got out of the car and walked over to the office.

"$90 a night." The man said from the desk without looking up from his phone.

"I'm not looking for a vacancy." Punk said holding up his badge and the man rolled his eyes and looked at Punk.

"I know nothing, I've seen nothing." The man said to him.

"I just want to know how often you see one person in particular." Punk said to him holding out his phone that had a picture of Bradford. "Well?"

"Never." the man lied.

"You saw him here last night." Punk corrected and the man let out a sigh. "This isn't a sting, it's curiosity."

"He comes a few nights a week. No I don't know who he meets but he pays for a room in cash." The man told him honestly. "That's it."

"A few nights a week? For how long?" Punk asked tucking his phone into his pocket.

"He stays until around midnight-" the man began and Punk rolled his eyes.

"I meant how long has been coming here?" He asked.

"A year or so." the man told him and Punk's face fell.

"Thanks." Punk said sliding him a fifty dollar bill. "There's another one for you if you call me when he comes back." Punk said passing him his card now.

"I don't work with cops. I don't want to go sit on a witness stand." The man said sliding the card back.

"This isn't about a case, this is personal." Punk reminded him again sliding the card over to him.

"How personal?" The man asked curiously.

"Very." Punk remarked almost darkly. "I want you to call me, no matter the time or day."

"If the money is green." The man said to him.

"The money is always green." Punk said annoyed.

"No sirens or anything right? I have a private clientele." The man said to him.

"I'm discreet, don't worry." Punk said to him then walked off.

* * *

Later that night Punk couldn't sleep. He kept tossing and turning and eventually gave up on even trying. He sat on the couch when someone knocked the second he got comfortable. He didn't move thinking it was Beth looking for a late night booty call. His head wouldn't be into it tonight, so he just turned off the TV and prayed she went away.

"It's me!" A sweet voice yelled banging on the door again and Punk stood up and opened the door for AJ who stormed past him and into his townhouse.

"Yes?" Punk asked closing the door. "Something wrong?"

"You." She said to him annoyed. "You are what's wrong with me."

"What did I do?" He asked.

"You've put it in my head that Bradford is cheating on me and now I can't shake it." She said annoyed.

"I didn't mean to do that. I just wanted you to be alert." He said to her.

"I want you to take me to where you saw him." AJ said to him and he shook his head. "Don't tell me no." She warned him. "He got a call and took off in the middle of our dinner tonight and I know it wasn't work related, I called the office."

"If you don't trust him-" Punk began.

"I did trust him! Until you!" she yelled.

"That's bullshit." He laughed. "You told me you were thinking it last night!"

"It was just a thought and now it feels more realistic." She said to him as Punk's phone began to ring.

"Brooks." he answered. "Right now? I'll be there." he hung up and grabbed his jacket.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"It's work." he lied grabbing his sneakers. "You can stay here if you don't want to go home or-"

"I don't want to stay here. Just tell me the motel-" she began but he walked out the door. "Wow, rude." she said to herself then reached for her cellphone. "Hi Cody." She greeted. "Hope I didn't wake you..."

* * *

Punk pulled back into the motel and walked over to the worker he had spoken to earlier.

"He's still here?" Punk asked and the man didn't respond. Punk reached into his pocket and pulled out his money clip and held a $100 bill in his hand. "You'll get it all if you tell me what room he's in."

"112." the man said holding his hand out and Punk placed the bill in it.

Punk slowly walked across the parking lot and found room 112. He approached the door and placed his ear to it at first then walked by the window but the curtains were closed. He hesitated to knock because there could be a chance he was with a witness, but Punk's intuition was never wrong and he knew the DA was up to something, something that really wasn't Punk business but he was making it his business.

Punk knocked at the door and hid off to the side so no one could peek to see it was him.

"Can I help you?" A man asked opening the door. He had on no shirt or pants and just boxers.

"Um..." Punk trailed off and used his hand to ease the door open and caught Bradford quickly getting dressed.

"Detective Brooks-" Bradford began as Punk pushed his way into the room.

"What the fuck is going on?" He asked.

"It's not-" Bradford began.

"It's not what!" Punk yelled. "It looks like you're fucking around behind AJ's back!"

"Oh, this is the guy you were telling me about." The man said looking at Bradford.

"I don't care if it's a woman or a man, you're cheating on her!" He yelled.

"It's complicated." Bradford said to him. "Please close the door and let me explain."

"I'm not closing the door." Punk spat. "Fuck you!"

"Phil-" AJ began as she walked into the room and then went pale.

"Oh my god." Bradford said shocked. "AJ, please-"

"Oh my god." She gasped.

"Ape-" Punk began but she turned around and ran out of the room.

"I'll talk to her." Bradford said to him.

"Fuck off." Punk warned him. "I'll take care of her."

"This needs to be handled carefully." Bradford hinted at. "I have a reputation, a job-"

"Is that why you were with her? To keep your secret desires private? It's 2017, there's nothing wrong with being gay!" Punk yelled.

"Please keep it down." Bradford pleaded.

"You'll be seeing me again real soon." Punk warned him and walked out of the room.

Punk walked out of the room and saw AJ's car still sitting in the lot by his but no AJ.

"Hey!" Punk yelled towards the worked who just pointed in a direction and Punk could see AJ on the corner holding onto the brick wall.

Punk jogged across the street and met up with AJ.

"Ape." he frowned and then cringed when she bent over and threw up on the sidewalk.

"Leave me alone." She said coldly not looking at him.

"I'm not leaving you alone on the corner here." Punk hissed. "Let me take you home and if you still want to be alone you can do that there."

"I don't have a home." She told him looking up at him and his heart sank seeing how sad her eyes were.

"I'll take you to my place or Maria's." He offered. "I'll put you in a hotel! You can't stay out here."

"I have my car." She said standing up straight.

"You shouldn't be driving." He said to her.

"Were you going to tell me?" She asked him.

"Of course." Punk said to her. "I didn't know that's what he was doing until I got here."

"You do realize you have turned my entire world upside down, right?" She asked him holding back tears.

"I was trying to help you." Punk defended lightly. "That's all I ever want to do."

"My personal life, my work life- it's all different because you couldn't stand to see me happy." She said to him and his face dropped. How was she blaming him? "Stay out of my life." she told him then stormed past him.

* * *

 **A/N: I didn't want to drag out the Bradford affair because it was super obvious and not the plot of the story, just part of the backstory. Anyways, thanks for the reviews! (Also, before I read it- cut AJ some slack with what she said to Punk, girl is in shock! lol).**


	3. Friends With Benefits

**Friends With Benefits**

* * *

The next day Punk had tried in vain to get in touch with AJ but no luck. She had called in sick for work and so did Bradford for that matter but he knew she hadn't gone home. He took a long lunch and swung by Maria's house and wasn't surprised she was home in the middle of the day.

"What are you doing here?" Maria asked stepping aside to let him in.

"I know AJ is here." Punk said to her and Maria just shrugged. "She can't hide from me forever."

"She's not here Punk." Maria said to him. "But I've talked to her. She's ok."

"She's not." Punk said shaking his head. "She didn't go home."

"How can you be so sure?" She asked.

"Because I waited outside her and Bradford's place all night until the morning and Bradford went back, not her." Punk told her.

"Give her a little time." Maria said to him.

"She's mad at me." Punk told her and Maria sighed sadly. "Me! I was just trying to help her! And if you talk to her please encourage her to go get tested because who knows who else Bradford was sticking his dick into!" he yelled loud enough so wherever AJ was hiding in the home, she would hear him. "Tell her that I won't apologize because I did right by her, I always do right by her." He reminded Maria.

"She's upset. She's confused. This isn't easy for her. She shares a home with Bradford, she loves him, she was committed to spending the rest of her life with him! She works with him! There's no clean break here." Maria reminded him. "She needs a few days to herself."

"I need to talk to her." Punk said to her. "I need her to understand that I didn't set out to hurt her, I would never hurt AJ. She knows that."

"She does." Maria assured him. "She's in shock."

"Tell her when you do speak to her that I'm here for her." Punk said to Maria who just nodded. "She's not alone."

"I will." Maria promised then Punk walked out the door. "He's gone!" she yelled and AJ stepped out of the bathroom. "He's worried about you."

"I know." AJ said to him. "I know it's not his fault either, he knows that I know that too. He's just worried."

"So am I." Maria admitted. "He was right about getting tested."

"Yea." AJ said quietly sitting on the couch. "What am I going to do Maria?" she sniffled and Maria sat down next to her.

"You're going to give me a key to your place, I'm going to pack up some clothes so you can hang out here for as long as you need and then we're going to take it day by day." Maria said to her.

"You're going out of town." AJ reminded her. "You're leaving tomorrow for."

Maria was a model and she was heading out tomorrow to Bermuda for a week long shoot. AJ wouldn't ask her to skip it.

"You should come with me!" Maria suggested.

"I can't do that. I have too much to figure out here, I have cases. I have to get back to work. People are depending on me." AJ said to her.

"So I'll cancel." Maria offered.

"No." AJ said shaking her head. "I'll be ok."

"Stay here for the week." Maria told her.

"I don't know, maybe." AJ said to her. "I can't avoid Bradford forever. I have to work."

"What about that job offer you got?" Maria asked.

"I don't know." AJ said shaking her head.

"You wanted to take it but you said you liked working with Bradford." Maria pointed out.

"It's a pay cut that I'm not sure I can afford at the moment. I'm going at it alone now." AJ reminded her.

"You have money saved away and it's something you believe in." Maria said to her. "You need a whole change. Are you even going to be able concentrate in the DA's office?"

"No." AJ said without hesitation. "No I won't."

"I know this is tough blow AJ but you're young and smart and you'll get it together." Maria assured her.

"It hurts." AJ admitted. "I loved him. I thought I was going to marry him."

"I know you did." Maria said to her.

"And why didn't he come here? He knew I'd be here, Phil figured it out." AJ said to her.

"Punk's a good guy." Maria said simply. "You should talk to him at least."

"I will." AJ promised.

* * *

AJ went by the large penthouse she was sharing with Bradford in hopes he wasn't home, but he was.

"Hello." Bradford greeted sadly as she walked into the bedroom. His eyes were red and swollen and he had clearly been crying.

"That's all you have to say?" AJ asked sadly.

"No." Bradford said to her standing up. "I'm sorry April."

"I don't think you are." AJ said shaking her head and walking over to her closet and pulling out a bag.

"Don't go, I'll go." Bradford offered.

"No. This was your place first." AJ said unzipping her suitcase.

"What are you thinking?" Bradford asked.

"What am I thinking?" She asked crying but choked out a laugh. "What am I thinking!? I'm thinking my fiance was cheating on me with another man! Was it even real to you? Or was I just some sort of cover up for you? Is that why you wanted a big wedding? To show off your trophy wife?"

"No." Bradford said quietly.

"I don't believe that." AJ said shaking her head in disbelief.

"I love you AJ, I really do." He insisted. "But-"

"But I'm not your type?" She quipped back.

"The man I was with-" Bradford began.

"I don't want to hear about it." AJ said shaking her head.

"His name is Benny and we've been seeing each other on and off for years." Bradford said to him. "I never would have gotten elected if the public knew!"

"That's what our relationship was based on, you getting the DA job. Were you going to marry me and still see him?" She asked him. "Were there others?"

"No." He swore. "Only Benny."

"I have to get tested Bradford!" She yelled.

"I'm clean, I get tested every six months." he assured her.

"Oh my god." She said as it all started to hit her again.

"I'm sorry you found out this way." He said to her genuinely. "I'm sorry I lied and you deserved better."

"I do." She agreed firmly.

"Are you uh-" he began.

"Going to rat you out?" She asked and he looked down at his feet. "You know, I don't know what's worse- the fact that you used me to cover up your real relationship or the fact that you're so ashamed of it. There's nothing wrong with being with a man and the man I thought I knew would know that. He would stand up and be proud."

"It's complicated AJ." Bradford said to her. "More than you know."

"I don't want to hear about your feelings anymore." She said to him. "You're not going to get sympathy out of me and no I'm not going to tell your personal business to the world and it's not because you should be embarrassed but I should be because it took me this long to figure out."

"I wasn't seeing him the whole time we were together AJ." he said as she quickly packed up a bag. "It was only the last few months-"

"When we got engaged?" She asked more hurt. "Was it me?" she asked.

"No." he said shaking his head.

"I want you to be honest! Was being with me so awful that you had to be with him? Is it the way I look or the way I was in bed?" she asked.

"No." he said deeply. "It was never you. You were very enjoyable in bed AJ and you're beautiful-"

"That's enough." She said to him. "You can tell people whatever you want at work as to why we're not together." She said zipping up her bag.

"You are coming back, right?" He asked her. "No matter what happens with us you're one of the smartest ADA's I have there, I need you there."

"We'll see." She said pulling her ring off of her hand.

"You can keep that. Sell it, give it away-" He began.

"I don't want anything from you." She said with sincerity. "You broke my heart." she sniffled placing the ring on the dresser.

"I did love you AJ." Bradford said to her honestly. "Don't doubt that."

"I do." She said grabbing her bag and before walking out the door she walked over to Bradford and slapped him hard across the face.

"Feel better?" He asked rubbing his cheek.

"No." She frowned. "I was hoping it would."

* * *

The next night AJ was in Maria's empty home when someone began banging on the door. She knew who it was, he had been by countless times already.

"Ape!" Punk yelled from outside the door. "You don't have to open the door but I know you're listening so I'll just talk out here so everyone can hear!"

"Don't!" AJ warned swinging the door open and Punk pushed his way in. "Maria is out of town."

"I know." Punk said to her. "Why are you avoiding me? I was helping you and I-"

"I know." She said cutting him off. "I just didn't know what to say to you. I obviously have to thank you but I'm still so humiliated."

"You don't have to thank me." Punk said to her sitting down on the couch and she joined him. "But fucking talk to me, I was worried."

"I know you were." She said to him.

"How are you holding up?" He asked her.

"I'm ok. Yesterday I saw Bradford and today I decided to start the first day of the rest of my life." she told him.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I got a job offer to be a PD." She told him.

"A public defender?" he almost cringed. "That's so beneath you."

"Don't say that. Everyone deserves a fair trial." She said to him.

"It's a pay cut." He noted.

"I'm getting a good deal." She had to admit.

"Is this something you want to do or something you think you have to do to avoid Brad?" He asked her.

"It's something I wanted to do a while ago." She said to him.

"I'll be seeing a lot more of you I guess." he said to her and she smiled. "What are you going to do when you know someone is guilty?"

"Get a plea deal. If I know they're innocent I'll defend them like it's my own life on the line." She told him.

"Did Maria mention to you that you should get tested?" He asked her.

"I went to the doctor today but Bradford gets tested every six months and he was only with one person so I'm not worried." She told him.

"I'm really sorry this happened to you Ape." he said honestly. "You deserve so much better."

"Was it me?" She asked him and he seemed confused.

"What?" he asked genuinely.

"Am I so unattractive that I forced my fiance to find comfort with a man?" she asked him seriously. "I know he said he was with him before but-"

"That's stupid." he told her seriously. "You're very attractive and you know it."

"I don't feel it." She admitted. "I've never felt so low about myself in my entire life."

"Don't say that." He said shaking his head. "You're beautiful on the inside and out."

"Ugh." She groaned throwing her head back against the head dramatically.

"What was wrong with that?" He asked.

"That's what you tell someone you don't find attractive." She said to him.

"You're very attractive AJ." He laughed.

"Say it with a straight face." She said seriously as she glared at him.

"I can't not laugh when you're looking at me like that." he said seriously.

"Am I just pretty or sexy?" She asked and he laughed again. "You're not making me feel better."

"You're sexy." he said laughing slightly. "I mean, look at yourself!"

"Maybe it's because I don't have big breasts." She said looking down at her chest.

"Maybe it's because he's gay and he's always been gay." Punk said to her seriously. "You didn't turn him into something that he's always been."

"I've been with Bradford for so long that I don't know how to be without him." She confided.

"That's stupid." He scoffed.

"We had sex three times in the last three months." She confided again and Punk almost laughed.

"I don't know how you-" he began.

"Didn't see this coming?" She asked.

"No. I don't know how you were able to sand that." He said to her. "At least when I get lonely I can just call Beth."

"And you like living like that?" She asked him. "No strings, no emotional attachments?"

"Yea." he said with a shrug. "Maybe that's something you should try. You can have fun without all the fuss of a relationship."

"It doesn't get lonely?" She asked.

"I'm far from lonely." He told her. "I've got you and Cody and Maria. I work all of the time so even if I wanted a relationship it would be too difficult to keep one."

"That's going to be me soon. I was busy before but now I'll be working hundreds cases." She said realizing all she was taking on.

"You're going to need a release." He said to her.

"And it's possible to have sex with someone and feel nothing?" she asked.

"You always feel something. That's why I keep within people I already like but nothing romantic. It's possible." he said to her.

"What about me?" She asked.

"I just told you that you should-" he began.

"No. What about being with me?" she asked him and he smirked.

"Ape-" he began.

"We're best friends." She pointed out. "I trust you."

"We might be too good of friends." He pointed out.

"Or is it that I'm not pretty enough for you?" she asked.

"We're back to this?" He asked amused. "You're the prettiest woman I know."

"I haven't had the best sex, I've barely had sex and I feel like shit as it is-" She began.

"Believe me Ape, I would." He said eyeing her. "I know you're feeling real bad right now and you think you need this-"

"You just said it was what I needed." She reminded him.

"It just might be weird between us. I mean you're not just a friend you're a big part of my life." He said to her.

"You're right." She agreed shaking her head. "Forget I said anything. I mean clearly you wouldn't be able to separate your feelings." she mocked lightly and he glared at her. "We're too busy for relationships but we see each other the most so it would make the perfect sense."

"I could separate my feelings." he scoffed. "But what if we do this and then one night I have a date and you get-"

"So you think it's me?" She laughed. "I walked in on my fiance with another man and he didn't even try to fight for me. Trust me, the last thing I'm looking for is love or even a steady boyfriend."

"Fine." he said to her. "Let's do it."

"Really?" She asked taken back.

"You need me and it could work as long as we agree it never gets in the middle of our friendship or work." he said to her.

"Deal." She said sticking out her hand.

"We need some ground rules first." He said to her.

"I thought the not getting in-between our friendship or work were the rules?" she asked.

"Those are just the most important." he said to her. "We can't interfere with each others dating lives." he told her and she nodded. "If we end up with someone it ends with no hard feelings even if the other is alone."

"Fine." She snorted.

"Do you have any rules?" he asked her. "Anything you want to get out of the way?"

"No romance." She told him. "No gifts or wooing. It is what it is."

"Fine." he agreed.

"And we don't tell anyone." She added. "If we tell our friends-"

"They'll never shut up about it." He added and agreed.

"Is that it?" She asked.

"I think that's good." he nodded.

"So?" She asked looking around.

"You want to go right now?" he asked with a laugh. "Aren't you still a little upset about-"

"Yes I am and I want to forget for a while- or five minutes." She teased with a serious face and his face dropped. "I've heard stories."  
"I last longer than five minutes." he scoffed taking his jacket off. "Are you really sure about this Ape?"

"It's just sex." She said to him. "I feel like shit and I want to feel better."

"An orgasm or two might help that." he agreed kicking off his shoes.

AJ watched as he removed everything but his jeans and t-shirt and he eyed her.

"I'm not undressing you." he told her. "You can do that yourself."

"Not out here." She said to him. "Too much light."

"Too much light?" He laughed.

"I want to feel, not see." She said walking up the stairs and he followed her into Maria's guest room.

Punk removed his shirt next and AJ watched biting on her bottom lip and he glared at her.

"Ape, you're going to have to take your clothes off." He said seriously unzipping his jeans. "I have no shame." he warned her pulling them down.

"Fine." She said turning around so her back was to him and he tilted his head in annoyance.

"Hiding something?" he asked annoyed as she pulled her shirt off over her head.

"No. I just don't want to strip in front of you." she said dropping her shirt to the floor, flashing her nude back in his face since she didn't have on a bra.

Punk watched as she tugged down her sweat pants and pulled her panties down with them and now he had a view of her ass and my oh my was it everything he had imagined. She always had a great ass.

"Ok, get on the bed." She said to him.

"Look at me." He said coming up behind her. "If you don't want to do this-"

"I do." She said slowly turning around with her arms folded. "It's just a bit awkward and my confidence really isn't at all time high."

"I get that." he said carefully unfolding her arms.

He didn't say another word, he just began to kiss her neck to loosen her up and it was working. AJ wasn't as stiff as he wrapped his arms around her so her nude body was flesh against his. His hand moved up to under her jaw and he titled her head back and kissed her deeply.

If there was fear they wouldn't 'connect' on a physical level that kiss washed away those fears. AJ was into the kiss the second his tongue dipped into her mouth and she eagerly kissed him back. She held his face as he walked her back to the bed. Punk eased her onto the bed and kissed her with force. His hand wandered over her pelvic bone and shivered at he contact but the kiss distracted her.

Punks fingers teased her lips to get them moist then pressed his index finger into her body. AJ didn't react to it though, she just spread her legs a little further apart for him so he could add another. Before AJ knew it her feet were flat on the bed and she was thrusting her hips into his talented digits. Punk's finger movement became faster and faster as he felt her squirm, she moaned into his mouth as he felt her body's liquid drip down his fingers.

AJ felt satisfied as he left her body and reached for his jeans and fished for his wallet. She moved back up the bed and he got a good glimpse at her and couldn't believe how good she looked. She was fit, toned, tanned and just perfect. How Bradford couldn't be satisfied with her was beyond him. He also tried not to think about how weird this wasn't. He never pursued this with her because he thought it would be weird, but oddly he felt more comfortable than he ever had before.

"Do you have a condom?" She asked sitting up.

"Yea." He said getting back on the bed and sat up on his knees and slid the condom on himself.

AJ laid back again as he moved in-between her legs and spread her knees apart. AJ's eyes widened at his length and width. She was more anxious now than before. He lowered his body onto hers and captured her nipple in his mouth and teased it with his tongue and teeth. AJ was distracted by that but still felt him tease her entrance. He slid his tip in then out and he repeated this a few more times, venturing a little further into her body each time.

"Stop teasing." She warned.

"I'm just prepping you." He said to her then slid into her fully and she bit on her bottom lip.

AJ was frozen in time it felt like and just let him move in and out of her. Just the few seconds he was in her were already the best few seconds of her entire sexual history. When she heard him grunting slightly she began to move her hips in sync with his as she her nails dug into his sides and her knees hugged his waist. He kept most of his weight off of her as he moved his lower half and rested held his head up, looking down at her face. But her eyes were closed as she tried to savor every long thrust.

"You ok?" he asked and she opened her eyes slightly and met his eyes briefly.

"Yes." She practically whispered.

Punk sat up and took her with him, without leaving her body. He was sitting on the bed and her legs and arms were wrapped his body and she moved as fast as she could over him desperately searching for a release. She needed this so bad and he knew that, he was going to let her use his body until she found some sort of joy. Not that he wasn't enjoying it. It was as if AJ's body was made for his.

Punk had his face buried in her neck as her hips moved wildly and her nails dug into his back. The only sounds in the room were skin slapping, a slight sound of moist and heavy breathing. This is exactly what both of them needed. Punk tried to hold out for as long as he could but he lost it ten minutes in when she did. He didn't feel bad about it, he knew they'd have more nights like this...

* * *

 ** _Three months later_**

"Get up!" AJ hissed throwing his sneaker at his head as he slept in her bed.

"What?" Punk asked rubbing his eyes.

"I got called into work and Maria will be home in an hour." She told him as she quickly got dressed.

"What time is it?" he asked looking at his phone. "Its only ten?" he groaned throwing his head back.

"No, no." AJ said grabbing his wrist and pulling him back up. "Out. Now. Actually, you can take me to the police station."

"Yea, yea." he said shaking his head to wake himself up.

They had been going with his 'no strings attached' thing for a few months now and both seemed to be enjoying it. They stuck to their rules, they still dated other people casually but they always ended up in bed together at the end of most nights.

AJ had moved into Maria's guest room since she took the pay cut and wanted to save up a bit for a better place. She would usually just go to Punk's for their sex dates to avoid Maria spotting him and catching onto their 'deal'.

"I'm fucking exhausted." Punk groaned getting dressed.

"I told you that you didn't have to come by tonight." She said brushing her hair quickly.

"I'm still a man." He smirked. "You can wake me up a little nicer though."

"I could." She agreed with a shrug. "Are you working tomorrow night?" she asked hoping to be able to go to his place.

"I'm not but I have a thing with Beth." he said buckling his belt and she nodded.

"You're going to end up marrying her." AJ teased.

"No, I'm not." He remarked with a chuckle. "She asked me to go to her cousin's wedding with her."

"Oh yea." She said remembering her had mentioned that. "Well, have fun and don't forget a gift."

"I have to bring a gift?" he asked her stunned.

"Yea you do." She laughed. "Don't be rude."

"What do I get?" he asked.

"Just give them money, you're out of time." She said to him.

"She didn't mention a fucking gift. This free meal date is turning into one of the most expensive dates I've had in years." he groaned.

"Ready?" She asked.

"Almost, need a shirt." he mocked grabbing his t-shirt from the floor. "What are you doing at work? You're not still working the Burnett case, are you?"

"I am." She said and he muttered under his breath.

"He's innocent." AJ argued.

"No he's not." he said simply. "Don't make me embarrass you in court."

"It'll be fun. I think Bradford is the prosecutor." she told him.

"You two are ok though right?" he asked.

"No we're not. I've spoken to him three times in the last three months and it's all been work related." She said to him.

"Don't let that get into your head in court." he said putting his jacket on.

"He won't and you won't either, that was a sideways bust and you know it. You were just trying to make your quota for the month." She said to him.

"I don't have a quota, I'm a vice detective not a rookie patrol man." He defended.

"I haven't lost a case yet." She reminded him proudly.

"Yea, the only PD that actually gives a shit is you." He said to her. "Let's go." he said grabbing his keys.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for the** **reviews! I sped up the timeline a bit because I'm anxious to get to the heart of the story and I really wanted you guys to get a glimpse of how things have been working out for them. But don't worry as I usually do there's a TON of drama I have up my sleeve waiting to swerve you all. There's going to be a lot of work drama giving she's a public defender and hired to release the people he arrests, we're still going to see Bradford, Beth and much more! ;)**


	4. The New Girl

**The New Girl**

* * *

Punk was at Beth's cousin's wedding having the worst time. He wasn't even sure why he agreed to play her 'boyfriend' tonight. He knew no one here, everyone was disgustingly drunk and it cost him $100 in a card. Even though he wasn't drinking, he was sitting at the bar to avoid Beth who was running around the dance floor anyway.

"Is this seat taken?" A pretty woman asked and he shook his head as she slid into the bar seat. "I'll have a sparkling water, please." she requested from the bartender.

Punk didn't notice it but the woman had a striking resemblance to AJ. Long dark hair, Hispanic, petite. Maybe that's why he didn't mind her sitting so close to him.

"How do you know the couple?" The woman asked sweetly.

"I don't." Punk chuckled. "My friend, Beth." he said pointing across to the dance floor where she was dancing with someone. "She needed a friend with her here."

"That's really nice of you." The woman smiled.

"You?" he asked.

"I'm the groom's half cousin's friends." The woman laughed. "I don't know why I'm even here."

"I was just thinking the same thing." Punk agreed.

"I'm Aimee." She introduced sticking her hand out.

"Punk." He said back.

"Punk?" She questioned.

"It's a nickname." He smirked.

"I can't wait to get out of here." She sighed.

"Want to sneak out?" he asked curiously.

"Would I be a monster if I did?" She laughed nervously.

"Nah." he said standing up. "Beth won't even miss me either." he said pulling her stool out for her.

"I don't even know you." The woman pointed out.

"I'm a cop if that puts you at ease." He offered and it was good enough.

"I trust you." She said standing up. "For some odd reason..."

"Great." He said placing his hand at the small of her back and leading her out of the room.

* * *

AJ was at the local bar sitting at a small table with Maria sipping on her usual, wine.

"You need a guy." Maria insisted.

"I really don't. I like my arrangement." She shrugged.

"What arrangement? You work through the night most days. You're just always working." Maria said to her.

Maria still had no idea of the arrangement she had with Punk but AJ liked it that way. This 'no strings attached' deal was awesome. She got great sex with a man she loved and trusted without the hassle or burden of keeping a relationship. This was going perfectly as far as AJ was concerned.

"Yea but it's keeping me busy." She shrugged.

"Just let me set you up with someone." Maria pleaded. "It's been months! You have to be missing sex."

"I'm really not." AJ said to her honestly. And it was the truth, she wasn't missing sex at all. She was having more sex then she has had in her entire life and AJ wasn't a prude by any means.

"At least get drunk and take someone home tonight!" Maria encouraged. "You have a meeting with Bradford tomorrow, right?"

"Yea." AJ cringed. "I haven't spoken to him directly in months."

"He's probably really grateful for you not spilling his secret." Maria said to her.

"I know he took some time away, went away for a few weeks. Everyone in the DA's office thinks I broke his heart." She scoffed.

"It's not fair they blame you." Maria said shaking her annoyed.

"No but that's ok." She shrugged. "Like I said, I'm perfectly happy."

"Oh, I thought Punk had that wedding tonight?" Maria asked and AJ looked over her shoulder and saw him walk into the crowded bar holding another woman's hand.

"He did." AJ remarked stiffly. "Must have ducked out." she said turning around hoping Punk wouldn't spot her with Maria.

"Punk!" Maria yelled waving and AJ rolled her eyes. "What? Are you two still fighting about that case?"

"Yea." AJ said as Punk made his way over.

"Hey." Punk greeted holding onto Aimee's hand. "Aimee this is AJ and Maria." He introduced.

"Hi." Aimee waved shyly and AJ just gave her a smile.

"Aimee and I skipped out of the wedding early." Punk told them.

"Awesome." AJ smiled. "How was the wedding?"

"Dull." Punk said to her. "We're just picking up food otherwise we'd join you."

"You didn't eat at the wedding?" AJ asked casually.

"Nah, left too early." Punk said to her. "See you guys later.

"Nice meeting you." Aimee smiled and Maria grinned.

"Wow." Maria said with a laugh once they were gone.

"I know! I can't believe he went with Beth and took someone else home." AJ said disgusted.

"That's not what I'm talking about." Maria said to her. "Did you not see it?"

"See what?" AJ asked.

"Aimee is you!" Maria laughed and AJ looked over her shoulder to scoop out Aimee again.

"No." AJ disagreed downing her wine.

"Yes! She's you! She looks just like you!" Maria marveled. "It's uncanny. He wants to have sex with you so bad that now he's sleeping with a lookalike." She said and AJ nearly choked on her wine.

"That's not it, trust me." AJ said placing her glass down and waved the bartender over. "Can I have another?" she asked pointing to her glass.

"That's so creepy." Maria said leaning back in her chair in amusement.

"Enough about them." AJ said to her. "Let's just have fun tonight."

"I've been waiting for you to say that!" Maria cheered.

* * *

The next morning AJ woke up on the couch downstairs still dressed in the previous nights clothes. There was a bucket next to her filled with vomit and she could feel drool around her mouth.

"Morning sunshine." Maria greeted handing her a cup of coffee.

"What time is it?" She asked curiously.

"7." She told her.

"Shit." AJ hissed getting up but her head was pounding.

"What's wrong?" Maria asked.

"I have a meeting with Bradford at 9." She said taking the coffee from Maria. "What the hell happened last night?"

"You got drunk and danced." Maria informed her and AJ cringed. "You almost had a guy take you home but then you threw up on his shoes." She shrugged. "No big deal."

"I feel like crap." AJ sighed holding her head and sitting back down.

"I'm sure you do." Maria had to agree. "At least you had fun." She cheered.

"Did I? I can't even remember." She said to her.

"You did. I don't know what got into you but you had a blast." Maria said to her. "I like drunk AJ. She only appears twice a year so that's exciting."

"Phil didn't come back to the bar last night, right?" She asked casually.

"Nah, he was probably nailing your twin." Maria shrugged. "Now hurry up and shower and I'll do your hair and makeup because even though your ex gay, you want to look hotter than ever." She said to her and AJ just sat there and nodded as Maria took off.

* * *

AJ walked into the police station where she was going to meet with Bradford. She had too many active cases to leave the station and go meet him at his office.

"Hey." Punk greeted as she passed by his desk.

"Hi." She said to him.

"You alright?" he asked oddly. "You're never this late."

"I had a long night." She said embarrassed with herself.

"Yea? Good for you." He smirked. "Me too."

"I think our nights were long for two different reasons." AJ said to him. "I got drunk and danced."

"I heard." Punk laughed. "Cody told me all about it."

"You want to meet up tonight?" She asked quietly.

"I can't." He said to her.

That was the first time he had ever turned her down for a night together and she was stunned but tried not to show it.

"I have a thing with Aimee." He told her.

"Oh. That's cool, maybe another night." She said to him.

"Yea, we'll see." he said to her. "I assumed you were working tonight-"

"We're not dating." She laughed brushing it off.

"Yea." he agreed nodding slowly.

"Hey." Bradford greeted with some nervousness as he approached AJ.

"Bradford." AJ greeted forcing a smile.

"Detective Brooks." Bradford greeted, but Punk just turned in his chair and ignored him and began to work on his laptop.

"Phil." AJ scolded and he just shrugged.

"It's alright, is there somewhere we can talk?" he asked holding up the case file and AJ nodded and waved for him to follow her into a closed off office.

Punk's eyes followed them until AJ closed the door behind her and briefly caught Punk's eyes.

"How are you?" Bradford asked as AJ sat down.

"It's best we just keep this about work." AJ said sitting down.

"I just want to know." Bradford said to her. "I feel awful for what I did to you."

"Why should I help ease your guilt?" AJ questioned.

"Fair." Bradford agreed. "So, you're with Punk now?"

"What?" She asked.

"You two seemed a little close-" he began.

"We've always been close. Doesn't mean anything is going on." AJ said cutting him off.

"I would have thought you would have ended up in bed with him the night we broke out." Bradford had to admit and AJ looked away knowing that was exactly what had happened.

"Let's just talk about the case." AJ said opening her folder.

"We'll take the plea deal." Bradford said to her and her face dropped.

"Why did you make that so easy?" She asked. "You're not doing this out of some sense of obligation-"

"I would never put someone back on the street that I thought was dangerous because I felt I owed you something." Bradford said smugly. "I'm doing it because the case isn't solid, Punk will be pissed though. That was his arrest."

"He'll get over it." AJ shrugged. "So, two years probation and six months anger management?"

"Yup." Bradford nodded. "If he skips on those anger management classes or even jaywalks I'll make sure the judge throws the book at him." he warned her.

"He'll be a perfect citizen." AJ said to him and he eyed her.

"April." He began and she groaned realizing this would be a lecture since he was using her full name. "I really hope that you realize a lot of the people you get off will go back to prison, they're not all good people. A lot of them are guilty. You're exceptional at your job."

"If they're found innocent in a court of law then they're innocent in my book." She told him.

"I just don't want you to take it personally when they mess up again." Bradford said to her. "You used to take so much pride out of helping put away criminals and now you're getting them released."

"I'm not doing it. The jury's are." She said closing her folder.

* * *

Later that night AJ was in a hot bubbled bath sipping on a glass of wine as she read over files. The doorbell rang and she planned on ignoring it since Maria wasn't home and she had no desire to get out of the tub. But whoever was at the door wouldn't let up and she tossed her file onto the bathroom floor and wrapped herself in a towel and headed down the stairs. AJ peeked first and saw it was Punk.

"Your car is out there, I know you're home!" He yelled now banging on the door and AJ opened the door and he marched in.

"What is wrong with you?" AJ demanded slamming the door shut.

"You cut a deal to let Burnett walk!" Punk yelled.

"Phil-" She began.

"That's fucking bull shit and you know it!" He yelled again. "He's a dangerous piece of shit and you just signed his release papers!"

"Bradford agreed with me. He had no priories and the case against him was weak!" She argued back holding her towel across her body.

"It wasn't weak you didn't even have to-" he began.

"Do my job?" She asked cutting him off.

"I liked you better when you were on my side." He said to her.

"I'm always on your side." She reminded him coldly. "But there is such a thing as due process and innocent until proven guilty."

"You're doubling up my work Ape." he said to her angrily. "You're putting people at risk!"

"He was arrested for drug possession." She scoffed. "I thought we agreed to not let work come in-between us?"

"It's not." He said to her trying to cool down.

"I also thought you had plans." She noted arching a brow.

"I did- I do." he said realizing now she was soak and wet in a towel.

"What are you still doing here?" She asked bluntly.

* * *

Twenty minutes later AJ was on her bed, on her hands and knees but her knees were so far apart that if she moved any further she would be in a split position. Punk was behind her with his clothes, including his jacket still on but his groin was free and plunging into AJ as hard as he could.

AJ drove him crazy all of the time, if this was how he was going to get out his frustrations with her, he'd argue with her all of the time. He was standing with his feet on the ground, one hand was wrapping in her hair tugging her neck back slightly and his free hand was at her ass, where his thumb was teasing her other entrance. He had never experienced sex like this with any other woman. AJ was just as fearless in the bedroom as she was in life.

The sounds she was making right now was driving him absolutely wild. He wasn't sure he'd ever be with another woman like her. She backed into his stiff and boarder line painful member in sync with the movements of his hips. Punk was on a schedule but at the moment he didn't care if he forgot all about his date and stayed buried inside of AJ. Being with someone served as a bitter reminder that she wasn't as good as AJ, nobody was.

"God!" AJ yelled in a deep voice as she hit her orgasm that caused her entire body to shake.

She always had an orgasm with Punk, he was always good but there were some that stuck out, ones she'd be dreaming about tonight. Ones that she swore caused her heart to stop and the veins and her head to pop. This was one of them.

The second Punk came he fell over onto her back to give himself a moment to catch his breath. He placed a kiss on the nape of her neck and even though his body wanted to rest he gently pulled out of her sweet body and peeled his condom off and tossed it.

"I have to clean up." Punk said to her.

"Yea, not a good look for your date." She smirked rolling onto her back lying completely nude. "I have a bath. I just need to add more hot water."

"Taking a bath with you seems a little 'too romantic'." He pointed out and she laughed.

"I don't want you in the bath with me." She laughed. "I want you to carry me into there because my legs are weak." she said holding her arms out and he scooped her up and carried her into the candle lit bathroom and placed he in the water. "Thanks." She said turning on the jets to the Jacuzzi and running hot water. "Don't forget to lock the door behind you."

"I won't." He said cleaning himself up a bit in the bathroom first.

"So, uh- how's Aimee?" She asked and he looked over to her. "I'm just asking as your friend. She seemed really sweet."

"She is." Punk said to her. "How did it go with Bradford?" he asked and she could sense the subtle jealousy, just as she was sure he sensed hers.

"He was nice." She said to him. "He's always been nice."

"Yea, nothing like a guy who asks you to marry him then cheats on ya." He teased winking at her.

"He's going through stuff too." She said to him and he looked at her.

"You forgive him?" Punk asked.

"No. But I want to let go of that anger or I'll never be able to move on with someone else." She confided.

"You're ready for that?" he asked her.

"I won't know until I try." She shrugged. "Have fun tonight."

"You too." He smirked and kissed the top of her head before walking out of the bathroom.

Part of her was hoping he'd stay, another part of her hoped he never came back...


	5. Volcano Girl

**Volcano Girl**

* * *

A week later AJ was at work speaking to a man that was arrested earlier in the day.

"It's a misunderstanding." The young man argued. By young, he might have been a year or two younger than AJ. He was a rich kid- very rich. AJ recognized his last name the second he came in and was stunned requested a Public Defender.

"Why do you ask for a public defender?" AJ asked him.

"Because my dad would kill me if I got arrested over something so stupid." the man said to her.

"How old are you?" AJ questioned.

"26 and I work for my dad. My attorney is the same as his, he'll know." The man said to her. "I didn't do this."

"Rape is a serious offense Mr. Devile." AJ noted reading over the arrest report.

"I didn't." The man shrugged. "With all due respect Ms-" he began but stopped realizing he didn't catch her name.

"Mendez." She said to him and he nodded.

"I've seen you on the news." The man smirked. "You're the new hero of the people."

"I'm not a hero." AJ said to him.

"You take care of the people who can't afford fancy lawyers." he said to her.

"Like yourself?" She shot back.

"Look at me." He said holding his arms out smugly. "Do I look like I need to rape anybody?"

"Why isn't he cuffed?" Punk asked walking into the room and yelled out the door for the uniformed officer.

"It's fine." AJ said glaring at Punk. "You can't just walk in here, we're having a meeting."

"I walked by the window and saw his arms extended." He said to her as a uniformed officer came in and cuffed him to the desk.

"This is ridiculous." William Devile sighed.

"You're a suspect, shut up." Punk warned him.

"Leave." AJ said to Punk and the uniformed officer.

"Aren't I innocent until proven guilty?" William asked Punk.

"Yea, sure." Punk snorted. "There are policies here and regulations for a reason if you can't abide by them then send another public defender." He threatened then walked out of the office.

"You let him talk to you like that?" William scoffed. "Disrespectful."

"He's just doing his job." AJ remarked trying to keep her anger at bay. "William, the victim ID'd you. Marcila Perez."

"She's my maid. She's old." William said to her.

"I'm going to need a little more of defense then the fact that she wasn't attractive enough for you." AJ warned him.

"I didn't touch her." He remarked with ease. "I don't need to force any woman to have sex with me let alone the fucking help."

"Watch it." AJ warned him.

"You're both Hispanic, are you related to her?" William teased and AJ closed the folder.

"I suggest you contact an expensive attorney. You're dad is going to figure out that you've been arrested when he reads the papers and you don't come him." She said standing up.

"I can't sleep in lockup." The man yelled standing up even though his one wrist was still cuffed to the desk. "Look at me!"

"I am looking at you and I'm looking at a very guilty man." She remarked. "I won't be able to defend you."

"You defend the poor trash of this city but I'm not good enough? Fuck you!" He spat and spit a spit ball across the table and it hit her right in her left eye.

* * *

AJ walked out of the room and past the officer who walked in to get William and she brushed right past Punk who still looked angry himself.

"She ok?" Cody asked Punk who watched as she ran into the bathroom.

"You like spitting on people?" The officer asked dragging William out of the room and Punk frowned.

"I'll talk to her." He said standing up.

Punk pushed open the ladies room door and thankfully it was just AJ in there. He closed and locked the door behind him and looked on as she studied her face in the mirror.

"You ok?" he asked her.

"He spit in my fucking eye." AJ spat disgusted looking at her reflection.

"That's why-" He began.

"You wanted him cuffed? That's why you walked in there and humiliated me? We were doing fine until you put me down." she said angry.

"I was just protecting you." Punk reasoned.

"I'm not a kid Phil!" She yelled looking at him finally. "I don't need you to protect me from my own job. Will you always see me as some little kid you need to keep the bullies away from?"

"I think it's pretty clear that I don't see you as a kid AJ." he remarked trying not to laugh.

"This isn't funny Phil! You just got me spit on!" She yelled.

"I didn't spit on you." He argued.

"You made me look bad! You made me look weak and he pounced on that. Offenders like him do that!" she yelled.

"Offender? Maybe you're mad at the fact that you were going to help that rapist walk." He said to her.

"No. I know how to do my job and I took an oath to defend everybody. He didn't want a defense, he wanted a get out of jail free card." she argued. "You need to mind your own business when it comes to me being here."

"I would have done the same thing whether it was you or even fucking Bradford in that room." he told her honestly.

"Working here with you is difficult so I need you to butt out of my stuff." She told him.

"Follow proper protocol and I won't butt in." he said to her simply.

"I went to college for many hours, I've worked my ass off to get where I am today and the last thing I need is you trying to knock me down a few notches." She said to him. "I expect that from other officers or lawyers but not you- never you."

"I wasn't trying to knock you down." He insisted. "I was doing my job today, you were not." he reminded her. "Stop playing the victim card constantly. What happened with Bradford sucked for you and I'm still angry for you but you have to get out of this poor me funk you've been in, it sucks." he said to her then walked out of the bathroom.

* * *

AJ walked into the bar to meet Maria but stopped by the bar when she saw Punk and Aimee sitting at the small table with Maria and she was with the new guy she was seeing. She never felt more inadequate in her entire life. She was seeing Punk, but he wasn't her boyfriend- she didn't want to sit at the table and watch him hang around Aimee even though they had made a promise to never let their arrangement interfere with their friendship. AJ turned around and walked out of the bar and texted Maria once she was outside that she couldn't make it. She glanced in the window and saw them all laughing at the table and for the first time in her life, felt more alone than ever. She had worked her entire life to never feel 'less' or an 'outsider'.

AJ headed down the block and into the more quiet bar. She just wanted a glass of wine and to go home and cry into a romance novel. AJ sat at the empty bat and immediately recognized the man behind the bar.

"Mendez." A friendly man greeted.

"Jeff." AJ smiled at the built fireman. "I didn't know you work here."

"Work here? I own part of it. Firefighter bar." he noted and AJ's eyes widened with amusement.

"I had no idea there was a firefighter bar so close to the cop one." She said pacing her small clutch on the bar. "Hope it's ok I'm here for a drink."

"You're always welcome here." Jeff said to her.

Jeff was the opposite of Punk. If he wasn't a firefighter he could pass for a bodybuilder. Spiky brown hair on the top of his head and not one tattoo. AJ had gotten to know a few of the local firefighters from when she campaigned for Bradford's vote for DA a few years back.

"What can I get you?" he asked kindly.

"A glass of white wine?" She asked hopefully.

"Sure." he said and she reached into her purse and he placed his hand over hers. "It's on me."

"Thanks." She said to him.

"So what's wrong with the down the street?" Jeff questioned.

"I just needed a change in company for the evening." She shrugged.

"I heard about you and Hamilton." Jeff said to her and she gave him a weak smile. "I'm sorry."

"Me too." She admitted.

"So are the rumors true?" Jeff asked leaning over the bar and whispering and her heart sank, even though she was mad at Bradford she didn't want to spill his secret.

"What's the rumor?" She asked.

"You caught him with your sister?" Jeff asked and AJ rolled her eyes.

"I don't even have a sister." She said to him with a smirk. "We just couldn't work together and live together and spend every waking hour together." she lied and he nodded.

"I can see that getting annoying. Not as scandalous as we all thought though." Jeff said to her as he dried a glass.

"I'm a pretty boring person, hate to break it to ya." She teased sipping her wine.

"Nah, a woman with eyes like yours is far from boring." He replied smoothly and she blushed.

"Are you hitting on me?" she asked curiously.

"Maybe." He said with a smirk.

* * *

The next morning Maria was woken up by the bell ringing and let Punk in.

"What are you doing here so early? It's Sunday." She groaned letting him in.

"I bought donuts." He said holding the box and gently slapped Maria's hand away when she tried to reach into the box. "Not for you." He scolded. "AJ."

"You're still feeling bad about that argument yesterday at work?" Maria yawned.

"Of course I am." he groaned. "I'm in the right but I don't like her being mad at me."

"She's still sleeping." Maria said to him. "I'm sure she won't mind you waking her up with donuts in your hands."

"It's her favorite." Punk smirked.

"Before you do that, what's going on with you two?" Maria questioned.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Whenever you two are around each other there's been all of this tension." She said to him. "It's uncomfortable."

"There's no tension." Punk shrugged. "If you sense it, it's left over from work. We butt heads a lot."

"Right." Maria said to him. "You know I think you two should just fuck the tension out of each other. Have sex! She could use a good night in the sack. She's becoming grumpy."

"I'm sure she's plenty satisfied." He defended strongly. "And if she's grumpy it's not from lack of sex, I'm sure she's just cranky about the whole engagement thing."

"Whatever you say, you're the AJ expert." Maria mocked walking into the kitchen and Punk headed up the stairs.

Punk pushed open her door and AJ shot up quickly.

"What are you doing?" She asked holding the bed sheet up over herself.

"I bought you breakfast." Punk said placing the box on the bed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I have to get changed you should go." She said to him quickly.

"It's nothing I haven't seen-" he began but stopped when a shirtless man walked out of the bathroom. "-that's new." he remarked eyeing the man suspiciously.

"Sorry." Jeff smiled nervously.

"It's ok, it's just Punk." AJ said and Punk shook his head in amusement and shock.

"Punk?" Punk asked her.

"I have to get going." Jeff said quickly dressing.

"Can you give us a minute?" She asked Punk.

"You're done now aren't you?" Punk asked her annoyed.

"I have to get to work." Jeff said leaning over and kissing her right in front of Punk. "I'll call you."

"Ok." She said giving him a tired smile.

"Nice seeing you again." he said passing by Punk and out of the bedroom.

"Who the fuck was that?" Punk demanded closing the door behind him so Maria wouldn't hear.

"That was Jeff." She said getting out of the bed with the bed sheet still wrapped around her presumably nude body.

"I know who Jeff is, he works at the firehouse." Punk said to her.

"How do you know him?" AJ asked confused.

"Cops and firefighters tend to cross paths once in a while." He mocked. "You slept with him?"

"So?" She asked tired and cranky. "I thought we agreed to not interfere in each others dating lives?"

"You're dating him?" He asked him stunned.

"No Phil." She said to him. "I had a bad day yesterday and went to his bar and he kept me company last night. I'm an adult, don't you dare judge me."

"I'm not." He assured her. "I'm just wondering why you didn't call me?"

"You were with Aimee." She reminded him. "I saw you with her at the bar."

"Why didn't you come over?" he asked.

"Because I didn't feel like playing fifth wheel." She said to him.

"It's not like that." he said to her.

"I just needed a night to myself." She said to him.

"But you weren't alone." He pointed out.

"Why is this bothering you?" She asked and he widened his eyes.

"It's just not like you." he reasoned. "You're not a one night stand kind of girl."

"I've never had a one night stand so even with having just this one." She said walking into the bathroom and he followed her. "Please stop following me." she groaned turning on her shower and then dropping her bed sheet and walking into it.

"Was it a one time thing?" He asked opening the shower door and she glared at him as the water hit her face.

"I don't know." She said to him. "Probably not. And by the way, what we've been doing? It's been a string of one night stands." she reminded him.

"It's different. There's a connection we're friends." he reminded her. "I'm not some asshole from the firehouse."

"That's not nice." AJ said to him. "I don't grill you on Aimee."

"Because Aimee is sweet." Punk said to her. "Everyone can see that."

"I don't have time for this." She said looking over to him. "Can you let me shower in peace?"

"I knew this was a mistake." he said shaking his head and closing the shower door.

AJ quickly turned the water off and followed Punk before he left he bedroom.

"What was a mistake?" She asked tugging on his arm.

"This friends with benefits thing." he said to her. "It's too much tension between working together and you're acting out-"

"You're doing it again!" She yelled. "You're treating me like a child, again!"

"You're acting like one Ape." He said to her. "You don't just pick up guys at bars."

"I knew Jeff!" She argued. "And what about who you're sleeping with?"

"What's wrong with Aimee?" He asked offended.

"She's me!" She yelled and he rolled his eyes. "She looks just like me!"

"That's not true." He laughed at the comparison.

"Compare our pictures. Stand us next to each other." She challenged. "Everyone talks about it."

"Do they?" he asked.

"Yea they do." she said to him.

"That's ridiculous." He said to her. "You know what? Maybe we should just end this."

"I agree." She said to him.

"It's messing with our friendship and your judgment and I don't want that." He said to her.

"It's not messing with my judgment but it is ruining our friendship." She agreed nodding.

"It's over." he said to her and she nodded in agreement. "No more late night-"

"No more hot showers together." She added as he stepped over to her.

"Our friendship is more important than our physical attraction to each other." he said looking down at her.

"Very important." she agreed softly and he leaned down and kissed her.

In a second he lifted her wet body and she wrapped it around his dry one and clothes. He carried into her the bathroom and she unwrapped her legs from around his waist and she kept their lips connected as she reached her hand into the shower and turned the water back on.

"One more hot shower." He said pulling away and pulling off his shirt.

"Just this last one." She agreed, lying in the process as she helped strip him of the rest of his clothes and pulled him into the shower with her.

* * *

After the shower Punk was sitting on her bed and watching as she blew out her hair.

"What's wrong?" he asked and she turned off the dryer and began to brush her hair. She joined him on the bed sitting cross legged facing him.

"I feel like a whore." She told him.

"You're not." he said to her.

"I was with you this morning and Jeff last night and I don't like this person I'm becoming." She said to him. "I thought this being 'free' stuff was going to be fun but it's not."

"You didn't have fun with me?" he smirked.

"I did." She said to him giving him a soft smile. "I only had fun when I was with you." She told him honestly. "And you aren't an option for me so like we said before the shower, I don't think we can do this anymore. It's distracting me."

"I respect that." he said to her.

"It will give you a chance to get serious with Aimee too who really is a sweet girl." AJ told him genuinely.

"Now that I think about it, she does look like you a bit." He admitted. "That's weird, right?"

"No. It just means you have excellent taste in women." She said brushing her long hair.

"Jeff isn't the worst guy in the world." Punk forced out and she gave him half a smile.

"He's not my type." She told him. "I don't think he's looking for a work obsessed girlfriend at the moment anyway."

"His loss." Punk said seriously.

"I love you." AJ told him, it was nothing he hadn't heard before. AJ was always very open about her feelings and she's loved him since as young as she could remember. "I never want anything like sex or work to ever cost us what we have." She said to him and he nodded.

"We realized it and we stopped it." He said to her. "It was fun but we move on now."

"You did really help me build my confidence back up." She said to him.

"I did?" he asked happily. "I'm glad. Jeff didn't do that for you?"

"No." She laughed. "I wasn't really...never mind."

"Tell me." He insisted.

"I just laid there. Maybe I had too much wine but I almost fell asleep." She told him and he let out a loud laugh.

"It's not funny." She giggled slapping his arm.

"I always kept you wide awake." He remarked smugly.

"You knew me." She pointed out. "Jeff doesn't. I'm definitely not a one night stand kind of girl."

"You learn from your mistakes." he said standing up. "Want to go to the movies?"

"Yes." She said jumping off of the bed.

"Not Fast and the Furious." He warned.

"You promised if I watched Star Wars you'd take me to see Fast and the Furious." she argued grabbing her jacket.

"Those movies suck." He groaned walking out of her room with her following.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Obviously keeping their hands off of each other is easier said then done...**


	6. Mistakes Happen

**Mistakes Happen**

* * *

Walking into the District Attorney's office wasn't easy for AJ. It was the first time she had been back inside of her former job since packing up her office months ago. But she got a call from Bradford about a case that he had to see her for.

"Hello." AJ greeted and Bradford waved her in even though he was on the phone and pointed to the seat facing his desk.

AJ knew Bradford well enough to know by just how he was standing and his tense face this was all business and it was serious.

"I'll call you back." Bradford said then abruptly hung up.

"You said it was important." AJ said as he sat down across from her.

"Your name popped up in a case one of my ADA's is prosecuting or at least trying to." He said with a disappointed voice.

"That can't be possible." She laughed. "All I do is work."

"William Devile." Bradford said annoyed. "What happened when you spoke to him? Did you refuse to take his case?"

"No." AJ said shaking her head. "Well, not really."

"This is important April." Bradford scolded. "He's claiming he didn't get a fair shake from the City."

"He spit in my face!" She argued.

"Did you make a report? Press charges?" he asked folding his arms and leaning back in his chair.

"No." She said quietly. "I should have. I'm sorry."

"So it's your word against his?" Bradford asked. "This is a big deal AJ, you can lose your job."

"How? He has money he didn't need a public defender." She argued.

"He still requested one and after you left you didn't send anyone to replace you. It looks like you thought he was guilty and left him to rot. His thirty two hundred dollar an hour attorney is claiming that." Bradford said to her. "It looks bad."

"He was hostile." she argued.

"Not hostile enough to have him cuffed in the beginning." Bradford noted. "You felt comfortable enough sitting in a locked room with him without any restraints. Do you do that with most men accused of violent rape?"

"No." She said holding her head. "I was having a bad day, I wasn't thinking clearly. Phil walked by and saw he wasn't cuffed and came in and had him cuffed."

"Did Punk see him spit on you? Or act hostile towards you?" Bradford asked but AJ didn't respond. "I didn't think so. If that were the case I assume I would have gotten a complaint about police brutality." he muttered rubbing his temple.

"I'll testify." She said to him.

"Testify that he requested a public defender and you refused your services and didn't even call your office and request another one?" Bradford asked. "I understand you've been under a lot of pressure with new job and everything but this small mistake can put a rapist back on the street. He didn't have proper due process. He probably won't even make it to trial."

"No." AJ said shaking her head. "He's guilty!"

"Is that why you refused to help him? You looked into his eyes and saw he was guilty so you just left him without proper representation?" Bradford challenged.

"No!" She yelled. "He's filthy rich! He didn't even qualify for a public defender." She argued.

"His father is filthy rich." Bradford corrected. "He has no source of income."

"He said he worked for his father." AJ said to him. "He was wearing a $500 shirt and had on a rolex watch." she insisted.

"On file, he has no income." Bradford repeated.

"I didn't mean to do this." AJ said to him. "How can I fix this?"

"You can't." Bradford said to her. "I can pull some strings and make sure you keep your job in the PD office but he's going to walk."

"He's guilty." AJ reminded him coldly. "I don't care about my job."

"I called you down here to hear your side and beg you to never make such a stupid mistake again." Bradford said to her. "Even though we're on different teams I know we have the same goal."

"I can't believe I did this." She said in disbelief.

"We all make mistakes AJ." Bradford sighed. "What was going through your head that day though? How could you be so careless?"

"Personal stuff." She said to him. "I was mad at Phil for barging in on my interview, I thought he made me look bad in front of William." She told him honestly.

"If you can't work in the same station as Phil then you should be moved." Bradford said to her.

"It's not that." She said to him. "He wasn't wrong. That was my mistake too, not making sure he was properly restrained and he turned on me so quickly who would have known what would have happened if Phil didn't come in."

"He'll mess up again." Bradford said to her. "And when he does someone will be there to arrest him. It doesn't hurt that you have a friends at the station who I'm sure wouldn't mind checking in on him every once in a while." he hinted and AJ knew what he was talking about.

"Thank you." AJ said to him. "And I'm sorry."

"I'm not your boss AJ, like I said I know we both have the same goal. We want everyone treated fairly and we want the bad ones locked away and the good ones free." He said to her. "Is everything alright? I mean personally."

"I don't think we're there." She said to him.

"I know you very well AJ and if you do need to talk you can trust me." He said to her and she laughed.

"Believe me I know all about how well you can keep secrets." She remarked standing up. "But thank you for the heads up and I promise you this will not happen again and William Devile will be in your court room at some point."

"Don't be a hero AJ." Bradford said to her. "Talk to Punk, he'll help you."

"He usually does." AJ said to him and he eyed her oddly. "Bye." She said quickly then walked out of the room.

* * *

Across town Punk was sitting across from Aimee as he treated her to breakfast before work. The more time he spent with her the more he realized how right AJ was, Aimee looked like her. That's what attracted him to her. She would talk about work (she was a dental assistant) and he was sure she didn't even have a mean bone in her body but the more time he spent with her without his nights with AJ, the more bored her got with her.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Aimee asked sweetly reaching for his hand across the table.

"Yea." He said to her.

Aimee didn't challenge him in the way that AJ did, she also didn't come close to the passion AJ had for him in the bedroom. He never believed in basing an entire relationship off of sex but this was becoming an issue for him.

"You want to talk about something?" Aimee frowned.

"Nope." he said and his phone rang and saw AJ's number appear across the screen. "I have to take this." he said to Aimee. "Ape." He greeted almost relieved until he heard cracking voice.

"Phil I need you." She cried into the phone.

"Where are you?" he asked her.

"In my car parked at the park." She said to him.

"I'll be right there." he said then hung up.

Punk stood up and threw some cash on the table as he quickly put his jacket on.

"Where are you going?" Aimee frowned.

"AJ needs me. Something happened." Punk said urgently. "Need me to drop you off anywhere?"

"No, go." She insisted. "I hope she's ok."

"Thanks." Punk said then literally ran out of the diner.

* * *

Punk pulled into the spot next to AJ's and got out of his car and climbed into hers.

"What happened." He asked concerned as she wept against the steering wheel. "Ape!" He demanded moving her chin so she was looking at him.

"I messed up." She cried. "I messed up so bad and I need you help me fix it."

"Ok." he said without hesitation. "What do you need from me?"

"Do you remember last week? The rapist who spit in my eye?" She asked and he nodded. "I fucked up. I made a mistake and Bradford had to drop the charges. I helped a rapist walk and I can lose my job-"

"Lose your job?" He asked confused. "Can you start at the beginning?"

AJ quickly explained to him what Bradford had informed her of earlier and he now he knew why she was so upset. The guilt must have been eating her alive, AJ always put on a brave front but she really was soft on the inside.

"It was an honest mistake." Punk said to her.

"Honest or not it was still a mistake that's going to get more women hurt." AJ said to him. "A woman is now going to live in fear for the rest of her life unless I fix this."

"It doesn't sound like you can." Punk said to her.

"You can help." She said to him. "Can you keep an eye on him?"

"Yea but I can't watch him 24/7." Punk said to her.

"Just put the pressure on him, let him know that he's being watched." She pleaded. "Please, Phil." She pleaded.

"You know I'll do anything for you." He said to her. "I'll have a few patrol officers drop in on him too." he promised.

"Thank you." She said relieved.

"It doesn't mean we're going to catch him in the act of anything." Punk reminded her.

"I know but at least we're trying." She said to him. "I'll help too."

"You're not a cop." He reminded her. "Just let me look into this, ok?"

"I won't be able to sleep." She confided. "This is going to haunt me."

"We'll get him Ape." he promised. "What's going to happen with your job?"

"Bradford is going to put in a good word for me but I don't think it's going to do much good." She admitted.

"You think you'll get fired?" He asked.

"No." She said to him. "Suspended at least."

"I've been suspended." He said with a wave of his hand. "No big deal, just means you're bad ass."

"Right." She snorted.

"Thank you." she said to him placing her hand over his and he compared it to when Aimee did it to him earlier and it was so much different with AJ, everything was.

"You can always count on me." he reminded her lifting her hand and kissing it. "I've got your back."

"You always have." She agreed looking at him sadly. "I can't believe I let this happen, I can't believe I was so distracted with my personal life that I let this happen."

"We'll fix it." He promised her. "Guys like him always fuck up again."

"So we wait for him to rape again?" she asked him. "I should talk to the victim and apologize-"

"Don't." Punk warned her. "This could end with her filling a lawsuit against the City. Just let Bradford handle her and let me handle William."

"I'm sorry if I pulled you away from something earlier." She said looking at him sadly.

"You didn't." He said to her.

* * *

That night AJ dropped by the police station to check in with Punk.

"Anything?" AJ asked and he looked up at her.

"I've seen him, I've spoken to him but he didn't do anything and he's not going to for a while." Punk said to her. "Hear anything back from work?"

"I'm suspended pending investigation." She told him and he frowned. "It's just a formality. Bradford did put in a good word for me and it will probably just be for a week or so, even though I deserve to be fired."

"You do a lot of good Ape." He reminded her.

"Did I make a mistake?" She asked pulling a chair over to his desk. "And I don't mean with William, I mean in general of taking a job with the Public Defender's office?"

"No." he said to her. "Everyone is entitled to a good defense whether they can afford one or not. Some people slip through the cracks. It happens to me too."

"It does?" She asked.

"Yea it does." He confirmed. "It happens to all of us who work in the justice system. You've lost cases before."

"Yea but never screwed up this bad before." She said to him. "I'm sorry I'm annoying you with all of this-"

"It's not a bother." He said to her. "I was about to leave anyway."

"Want to grab some dinner?" She asked hopefully. "I haven't eaten today and you know when I'm feeling sad-"

"You want a greasy double cheeseburger with fries." He finished for her and she nodded anxiously. "Yea, lets go to Pinky's and get some burgers. I just have to run to the bathroom, I'll meet you outside."

"Ok." She said jumping out of her seat.

Punk reached for his cellphone and dialed a number.

"Hey Aimee it's me." Punk said into the phone. "I'm sorry but I'm going to have to work tonight I can't make dinner...yea everything is ok I just can't get out of this. Yea, I'll call you tomorrow."

He liked Aimee and all, but AJ would always his priority. He wasn't sure he'd ever be with a woman he'd put before AJ. He didn't even feel bad about blatantly lying to Aimee to spend time with AJ, AJ needed him and that was it as far as he was concerned. He grabbed his jacket and headed right out of the station to join AJ.

* * *

"How can you eat that whole thing?" Punk asked with a laugh as they sat on his couch.

They took the food to go and agreed to watch the Cubs game on TV tonight while stuffing their faces.

"It's so good." AJ moaned taking a bite out of her huge cheeseburger. "Want a bite?"

"Not after you just slobbered all over it." He said grossed out.

"You've never been skived out by my saliva before." AJ scoffed taking another bite out of the burger.

"Food is different." He said looking at the TV. "So, how are things with living with Maria?"

"She's barely home so it's like it my own home." she shrugged. "I'm going to have to figure something out at some point though. I'll wait until my suspension is up though."

"If you need help looking for a place let me know." He said to her.

"Yea I will." She said to him. "Bonnie called." She said referring to her mother.

"Yea? How much money did she need?" Punk asked watching the game.

"She wanted to come to town and see me. Told her I was too busy with work." She told him.

"What did she say about Bradford?" He asked her and she looked away towards the TV. "Tell me you told her your engagement was called off."

"I didn't." She said to him and he groaned. "She doesn't care. She didn't even ask me about Bradford when she called."

"Ape..." he warned. "Bonnie sucks, she really does. She was never there for you and took off the second you turned 18 but she loves you and you should tell her."

"Please." She snorted.

"You need someone to talk about Bradford besides me and Maria." He insisted.

"No I don't." She shrugged. "Besides I don't want to talk about Bradford because it's been four or five months now? I'm ok."

"Really?" He asked and she nodded.

"You helped a lot with that." She said to him. "And blowing this case was the last wake up call to move on that I needed. Once I get back to work that's where all my focus is going to be. I need to go back to being about my career and helping people."

"You've always been that way, you can also be young and have fun." He reminded her. "You're a great lawyer but you're going to make someone very happy one day."

"I've been thinking about that actually." She said to him. "I just don't think I'm destined to be with anyone."

"No?" He laughed.

"No." She said seriously. "It didn't work out with Bradford-"

"He's gay, Ape." he reminded her. "That had nothing to do with you."

"Ryan." She said referring to her boyfriend before Bradford.

"Ryan was 30 going on 18." He remarked. "He was immature and worked at the supermarket. He wasn't good enough for you."

"Don't say something like that. It doesn't matter what people do for a living." She said to him.

"It does matter that he spent his free time at an arcade." He remarked.

"And Kevin." She added and he rolled his eyes.

"The stuck up kid from law school?" Punk asked. "He wouldn't know what to do with a girls body anyway, you lucked out that he was so intimidated by your intelligence."

"The list goes on and on." AJ said to him.

"Stop thinking about the past." he said to her. "Stop putting so much thought into it."

"Is that what you do with Aimee? You just don't put thought into it?" she asked.

"No. Actually I'm putting a little too much thought into it." he had to admit. "She's great but-"

"But you can't be happy and have to look for flaws?" She asked and he smirked.

"No. She just doesn't challenge me in the way I'm used to." He shrugged.

"Yea I get that." She said to him grabbing the remote and changing the channel.

Punk slowly turned his head and glared at her.

"You know I fucking hate when you do that." he said annoyed.

"It's at a commercial." She shrugged. "I hate watching commercials."

"Ape." he warned.

"What is your obsession with commercials?" She asked clicking through the channels.

"By the time you find something the game will be back." He said to her. "Just put it back on."

"No." She laughed and he reached for the remote but she moved out of reach. "I don't want to watch commercials."

"I'd rather watch commercials then nothing and risk missing the game come back." He said annoyed grabbed her by the waist and pulling her onto his lap as he tried to reach her the remote. "Ape." He warned as she held her arm up high and because her back was to his chest he couldn't really reach.

"Now you're really going to miss the game." She warned him.

AJ moved her ass over him and he groaned in annoyance. His hand moved between her thighs and she hitched a breath at the contact as he rubbed her there.

"Let it go." He warned her.

"If you think doing that is going to get me to stop you need to rethink that plan." She informed him.

Punk had already forgotten about the remote as his hand moved to the button of her jeans and slipped into her front. AJ threw her head back so it was resting on his chest and dropped the remote in the process. AJ closed her eyes and let him use his fingers to tease her folds. While he was playing with her, she could feel him growing hard underneath her. She felt his free hand tug at her shirt and she removed her shirt herself.

It was an awkward positing but he was able to bite and nip at the side of her breast. She adjusted herself without Punk having to lose his grip on her underneath her jeans and with his free hand he tugged her bra down, freeing one breast and placed his mouth over it. AJ let out a needy moan and gently rubbed over his growing erection.

"Phil." She whispered, but he ignored her and kept his hand and mouth busy.

AJ forcefully pulled his hand out of her and he released his mouth around her and dropped his head against the couch in disappointment. He knew this was supposed to be over but he was so attracted to her that he couldn't even concentrate on anything when she was so close to him. He was afraid to open his eyes and accept the rejection but he felt her lift his hand and her tongue ran over one of the fingers that was just fondling her.

Punk pushed her forward onto the couch and she rolled onto her back and he tugged down her jeans and quickly removed his own t-shirt in the process. She had never been with someone who removed clothing faster then him. He kept her bra on her but pulled her underwear down her toned legs and turned her so she was sitting on the couch.

"Phil." She warned knowing what he wanted. They had agreed to keep 'romance' out of whatever this was and she had told him that she felt 'oral' sex was a little too intimate. The deal was to have sex and go to sleep.

"I have to." he said kissing up her thigh as he sat on his knees on the floor and AJ was practically drooling. "Say yes." he begged as he continued to kiss up her thighs.

"Yes." She said without even thinking about it.

Punk used his hands to gently spread her knees further apart and he practically dove his face in-between her thighs. AJ's eyes immediately rolled to the back of her head as he used the strength of his mouth on her most sensitive area. Her hands moved into his hair and she was clawing at his scalp and whimpering in pleasure.

Punk slowly stood up with her legs wrapped around his neck and she was laying up in the air as he sat up on his knees on the couch and devoured her completely. He wasn't sure how many times she came, he knew it was least once but he was savoring her taste and taking everything her body gave to him. He wasn't keeping track of the time as he ate her, but he knew he had been at this for a while now and his want for them to connect physically was growing painful. Punk released his mouth and dropped her lower half back onto the couch and he looked down at her and saw her run her hands through her now damp from sweat hair.

"Jesus, Phil." She sighed as she tried to catch her breath.

Punk pulled down his jeans and AJ sat up more and unclasped her bra. She wanted him now more than ever. He grabbed a condom and AJ took it from his hand and placed her mouth over him first, giving him just a tease of what she was capable of then let him go and slid the condom on him.

Punk nuzzled between her legs and without warning, entered her fully. Punk pressed his body against hers and she cradled him against her body and she held onto him for dear life as his hips moved slowly but hard into her. His face was buried in his favorite spot, her neck and she was looking up at the ceiling with a tear sliding down her face because she knew no other man would be able to make her feel this way and not just physically...


	7. Changes Are Coming

**Changes Are Coming**

* * *

Two days later AJ found herself sitting in an office being questioned about William Devile. Bradford had shown up for moral support and to keep his word of helping her. It took hours for something that transpired for only five minutes. After the questioning was over AJ was informed she could return to work the start of next week and she was relieved.

"Thank you." AJ said catching Bradford before he was able to get into his car.

"It's the least I could do." Bradford said to her placing his suitcase into the backseat of his car.

"Did you do it because you felt bad for cheating and lying or did you do it because you think I'm good at my job?" She questioned.

"I did it because I believe in you." Bradford told her honestly. "I also blame myself, this whole situation with me has gotten into your head and you slipped up-"

"Trust me, it's not you." She said to him.

"What's going on AJ?" Bradford asked with a sigh. "This isn't like you. What is distracting you so much? Are you seeing someone who is pulling you away from work?"

"You really want me to answer that?" She snorted folding her arms.

"Yes." Bradford said to her seriously. "Whoever you are with should respect your job. Don't ever settle for less."

"He does." AJ said to him then shook her head. "I'm not even with anyone, forget it-" She began and Bradford gently grabbed her wrist.

"Talk to me about what is going on." Bradford insisted. "You need someone to talk to. I thought Punk would be that guy for you since he always was when we were-" he stopped himself and looked at her. "It's Punk?"

"It's complicated." AJ said to him. "And I shouldn't be discussing this with you-"

"Do you know how messy it is to be with a Detective in the police station that you're working in? Did you slip up to help him-" Bradford began.

"You know Phil and know he would never ask me to compromise my job or would want anyone released, especially someone like William Devile." she said to him.

"So what's the problem?" Bradford asked her. "I always knew he had a thing for you-"

"It really isn't like that." She said sitting on the curb feeling defeated.

"So what is it like?" He asked sitting next to her. "If I had to hand pick someone for you, it would be him."

"We're not dating we're just- it's just a physical thing." She shrugged.

"I find that hard to believe." Bradford laughed. "You love too hard to be with someone without feeling and he loves you too much for that. That was stupid thing for either of you to think- friends with benefits?" he chuckled.

"That was the plan." She said to him.

"So, what's changed?" he asked.

"We tried to break it off but we just keep ending back with each other." She confided.

"Obviously." Bradford laughed. "You're smarter than this April."

"He's seeing someone." AJ told Bradford.

"Are you?" he asked.

"No. I tried but I keep comparing everyone to Phil." AJ told him. "It's ruining my romantic life." she admitted. "I want to move on from him to someone else but it's like he's tainted me."

"I think if he heard you say that he'd feel really bad." Bradford said to her. "The guy cares about you, he couldn't wait until I was out of the picture."

"It wasn't like that." AJ said shaking her head.

"It was exactly like that." Bradford said to her with a chuckle. "Why are you two fighting being together when that's so clearly what you both want?"

"I never imagined being with him like this." AJ admitted. "But now..."

"You do." Bradford finished for her. "Take it from someone who kept it ending it with someone he really cared about, don't waste the time. Lay it all out there for him."

"If he wanted to be with me and only me he'd say it. He's never held back from anything before." AJ told him. "I'm just wasting my time. I'm in a rut and I don't like it."

"You really feel that way?" he asked her and she nodded.

"I need to get away." She told him. "I need to clear my head and not just from the Phil thing but all the stuff with you too."

"I might be able to help you." Bradford said to her and she eyed him carefully. "But you have to be really committed into wanting to leave this all behind."

"I'm listening." she said giving him her full attention.

* * *

Punk walked into the local coffee shop and saw Aimee as she waved him offer and headed over to her table in the back and removed his jacket.

"Hi." Aimee smiled as he kissed her cheek and took a seat. "Thanks for meeting me."

"Of course." he said grabbing the drink menu. "I can't stay long though, I have a lot of work to do."

"I understand." She said to him. "We just keep missing each other lately I feel."

"Yea." he agreed. "I wanted to talk to you about that." He said putting the menu down.

"Oh no." She smiled. "I know what you're going to say."

"Do you?" He asked.

"It's over." She said to him and he didn't argue. "I know you've been seeing someone else too and it's not like we were exclusive so I'm not mad. I'm just sad that you didn't pick me."

"It's not about picking." He said to her. "It's just I'm not in the right state and maybe in another time or place you and I could have worked out- actually I know we could have. It's just not working right now and I don't want to keep you from someone who could really appreciate you."

"I get that." She said to him nodding.

"I just hate wasting your time. I think you're smart and beautiful but my mind is kind of all over the place right now." He said to her.

"Is it AJ?" Aimee asked.

"No." He smirked.

"It is." Aimee said quietly. "I see it in your face every time she walks into a room. Your eyes light up. I can't compete with her. You two have such a rich history."

"It really isn't like that." Punk insisted. "I'm not dating her and I don't have any plans to date her. I just kind of need to think things over on my own, you know?"

"Ok." Aimee said sadly. "I respect you for being honest and not wasting my time."

"Detective." William Devile greeted standing over the table. "I thought this was Ms. Mendez for a second. Hi there." William smiled sticking his hand out to Aimee who shook his hand.

"What are you doing?" Punk asked annoyed.

"Making your job easier." William said to him. "You've been tailing me, there's an officer right outside who followed me."

"Get your coffee and get the fuck out of here." Punk warned him.

"Are you dating him?" William asked. "You have a thing for Spanish chicks?" he asked now looking at Punk. "I do too."

"I suggest you go buy your coffee elsewhere." He said standing up.

"Fine." William said to him. "How is Ms. Mendez by the way? Heard she got in a bit of trouble."

"Bye." Punk said to him sarcastically.

"Good day officer." William smirked then walked out of the shop.

"Friend of yours?" Aimee asked curiously.

"No." Punk said watching him leave before sitting back down.

"So, I guess this is goodbye." Aimee said to him.

"Goodbye is a bit harsh. If you ever need anything you can always call me." He told her and she just nodded and stood up.

"I really hope you find whatever it is you're looking for." Aimee said to him and he gave her a small but grateful smile. "Take care, Punk."

"You too." He said to her and she left him sitting in the coffee shop wondering if he blew a perfectly good relationship with a great girl over something that might not even come to pass.

* * *

It was late when Punk made it to the bar. It was also packed and he had to push his way through the crowd to make it to the table that Maria, AJ and Cody were already occupying.

"Finally." AJ said eagerly pulling out a chair for him and he sat down.

"Yea, AJ has a big announcement and made us wait for you." Maria said to him.

"Big announcement?" he asked looking over to AJ who had on a big smile.

"There's no easy way to say it." AJ said looking at the group. "But I got a great job offer today from Bradford."

"You're going back to work with him?" Punk asked surprised. "Why would you do that to yourself?"

"Yea I mean all for a greater job but do you want to face him everyday?" Maria asked skeptically.

"Ignore them, go for it." Cody encouraged and lifted his glass in salute.

"It's not with Bradford, I meant his friend offered me a job." AJ corrected. "They need ADA's and-"

"What?" Punk asked. "That's the same job."

"It's not here." AJ told him looking him in the eye. "It's in Tampa."

"Tampa Florida?" Maria asked as Punk felt his heart drop.

"Yea." AJ said with a smile. "It's a lot more money then out here and I can start next week-"

"You're moving?" Cody asked stunned.

"I am. I took his offer." AJ told them. "It would be stupid not to."

"So you're just going to leave?" Maria asked devastated.

"In a few days." She confirmed. "They office is going to put me up in nice hotel until I get settled but they have a lot of open cases and not enough help."

"What about us?" Maria asked.

"I'll visit and Skype." She promised. "But I have nothing else keeping me here anymore."

"I know this is sudden." AJ said to them and Cody nodded.

"Yea, a little heads up would have been nice." He said to her.

"It was offered to me and I had to take it right away or risk not getting it at all." AJ said to them. "I think it will be a great do-over for me. A fresh start."

"I guess." Maria forced out.

"Be happy for me, I need this." She pleaded to Maria.

"Of course I'm happy for you but I'm going to miss my roommate." She told her sadly. "I really liked having you living with me."

"I'll be back from time to time and I'll need a place to crash." AJ smirked.

"Have you ever lived anywhere outside of Chicago?" Cody asked.

"No. So this is terrifying and I need all the support I can get." She said looking at Cody and Maria.

"You got it." Cody said standing up. "Drinks on me. Wine?" he asked AJ who nodded.

"I'll help." Maria offered standing up and following him.

"You're awfully quiet." AJ said to Punk.

"What do you expect me to say Ape?" he asked hurt. "You didn't even give me a heads up, I'm not deserving of that?"

"It just happened today." She reminded him.

"Forget the fact that we've been sleeping together for months now but we've known each other our entire lives." He reminded her trying not to grow too angry.  
"I don't know life without you."

"It's for the best." AJ told him. "For everyone, especially you."

"Don't make decisions for me." he scoffed. "Did you give this any thought?"

"Of course I did and Bradford-" She began.

"Fuck that guy." he spat standing up.

"Where are you going?" She sighed. "I don't want you to be angry I don't have much time-" she couldn't even finish because he stormed out of the bar.

"I had a feeling he'd do that." Maria said walking over holding two glasses.

"Yea. He's just down because he broke it off with Aimee today." Cody said to them.

"He did?" AJ asked.

"Yea. Wouldn't say why, between us? I think he's been seeing someone secretly." Cody said and Maria arched a curious brow at AJ.

"You don't say." She smirked and AJ looked nervous. "I thought the same thing."

"Yea?" Cody asked.

"Why don't you go see if you can catch up to him?" Maria suggested.

"Yea, I'll bring him back." Cody offered standing up.

"What?" AJ asked as Maria eyed her.

"I've pretended not to know for months but I know you and Punk have screwing each others brains out." Maria said to her. "But the cat is out of the bag now and you broke his heart."

"How did you know?" AJ asked and Maria rolled her eyes.

"First of all, I hear you two in your bedroom." Maria said to her. "I've seen him sneaking out in the mornings and after he walked in on Jeff he spent over an hour in your room just 'talking'?" she mocked. "I'm pretty but I'm not stupid."

"We've tried to stop." AJ confided.

"Why? You two are perfect for each other." Maria insisted. "If you go to Tampa you're not only ruining your relationship with him but your friendship."

"I couldn't find him." Cody shrugged sitting back down.

* * *

Punk was banging on a door loudly with a closed fist until it swung open.

"Punk?" Bradford asked yawning, clearly he was sleeping.

Punk just walked into the penthouse that AJ used to share with him and turned to face Bradford.

"Call your friend and tell him to take back the job offer to AJ." Punk instructed.

"Come on." Bradford sighed. "You know she needs this."

"No she doesn't." Punk argued. "You don't know AJ. She doesn't like being alone in her own house let alone a state. Call your friend and call this thing off."

"No." he to Punk. "You're distracting her from her job. April has one of the brightest minds-"

"Fuck off. Don't tell me I'm bad for her." Punk warned him. "I didn't propose to her and fuck my boyfriend behind her back! You did that!" he yelled. "You broke her and I'm still trying to help her put the pieces together!"

"By taking her pants off?" Bradford asked him folding his arms. "That was your grand plan? To do something you used to dream about doing?"

"You don't know what you're talking about." Punk mocked.

"I do." Bradford warned. "She told me about your arrangement. She's all confused and worked up and that's on you." he said to him. "You're the one who took advantage of her-"

"Don't say that." Punk warned grabbing him by his shirt. "Don't ever fucking insinuate that I would ever take advantage of her."

"Relax." Bradford said pushing Punk off of him. "I know you care for her but right now she doesn't think she has anybody."

"Call this off." Punk requested again.

"If you want her to stay, tell her that." Bradford said to him simply.

"I don't need advice from you what I need you to do is call this off. You've fucked with her life enough." Punk said to him.

"You've never liked me." Bradford laughed.

"No I didn't because you weren't good enough for her and I was right. So is this payback because I uncovered your affair?" Punk asked.

"No. It's a peace offering to AJ who is miserable and wants to start over." Bradford informed him. "I won't call my friend and I think this is a great opportunity for her."

"She'll hate it. She hates the heat." Punk told him and Bradford rolled his eyes.

"There's beautiful beaches." Bradford said to him.

"She's afraid of the ocean and it's not that she can't swim but she watches all of these shows on water animals and she doesn't know what could hurt her." Punk told him. "You clearly don't know her."

"She's fearless." Bradford corrected. "I know that much."

"She didn't even give this enough thought." Punk argued.

"So tell her that." Bradford said to him. "I didn't put a gun to her head, she can change her mind and still keep her job at the public defenders office."

"Just do me a favor and stay out of her fucking business." Punk said then stormed out the door.

* * *

AJ was laying in bed when her bedroom door opened and she saw Punk walk in. She sat up and watched as he sat far away from her at the edge of the bed.

"Where did you go?" She asked.

"To clear my head." He said looking at his shoes, refusing to look her in the face.

"Don't spend my last few days ignoring me or not looking at me." she pleaded.

"What do you want me to say Ape?" He asked now looking at her and she could see how sad he was.

"That you're proud and happy for me." She said hopefully. "That it's the right thing to do."

"It's not." he said to her. "It's not the right thing."

"Why?" She asked.

"Because you belong here in Chicago." He insisted. "You'll hate Tampa."

"Did you break up with Aimee?" she asked.

"Does it even matter to you?" he asked back.

"You matter." She said to him.

"Why wouldn't you even talk to me?" he asked her. "You really are just willing to leave me behind like this? We grew up together."

"It's not all about you." She said to him.

"If we didn't start this whole 'friends with benefits' would you be leaving?" He asked and she didn't respond. "Don't leave because of this."

"Tell me you want me to stay and give me a real reason as to why and I'll stay."

"I'm not playing this game with you. You know how I feel and you know I don't want you to go." he said to her.

"Tell me." She demanded. "Give me one good reason to stay and I will. Otherwise I'm not going to waste my time anymore and just move on with my life and start over."

"You're so desperate to start over? Fine. Fucking go." He said standing up. "I'm not going to beg you for a damn thing and if you thought I would or this was all a big ploy to get me to, you're going to be disappointed with the result."

"Don't be like this." She said to him. "You don't have any reason to be angry."

"Of course I do!" he yelled. "Go to Florida, but don't fucking call or visit. If you're going go and stay the fuck there. I wouldn't want to twist you up or distract you."

"Phil." She scolded getting of the bed. "Don't go." She whispered moving in front of the door. "Stay the night, one last night."

"No." He said gently pushing her away from the door. "You want it done? It's done. Have a safe trip." he spat then walked out of her room.

"Phil!" She yelled chasing him down the steps but he didn't even look back as he stormed out of the house and left her behind.

"Give him a day." Maria said walking up behind her. "You know how he gets when he's angry."

"We don't have a day." She said to her. "I'm leaving."

"He won't let you leave without saying goodbye." Maria promised her closing the front door.

"Yea." AJ whispered sadly locking the door.

* * *

 **A/N: So much more to come!**


	8. Say Goodbye

**Say Goodbye**

* * *

AJ was in her room packing up the last of her clothes when Maria walked in.

"You have everything?" she asked.

"Yes and I promise I'll send for it as soon as I get a place." AJ promised her.

"No rush. It's just going to be empty." Maria said sitting on the bed. "It's been a few days, talk to Punk yet?"

"Nope." AJ said checking her wallet to make sure she had everything she needed. "I left him a few messages but he won't talk to me."

"Maybe you should stop by and see him before you head to the airport." Maria suggested.

"I can only take so much rejection." She said to her with a laugh.

"He loves you." Maria reminded her. "He's hurting. You should have talked to him first."

"Why? We weren't in a relationship. He made that very clear." AJ told her and Maria eyed her oddly.

"What are you talking about? You two have been in a relationship since you were kids. You were always best friends. That's a relationship." Maria pointed out.

"He would have talked me into staying by scaring me about sea monsters and hot weather." She snorted a laugh. "I needed to just go."

"What if he wanted more with you?" Maria asked.

"He doesn't. I told him the other night if he wanted me to stay he had to give me a reason and he couldn't." AJ told her. "I'm not going to blow an opportunity like this for Phil who just wants me around to sleep with."

"It's deeper than that." Maria scolded. "He's always loved you!"

"He's never told me that. We've been friends our whole lives and he's never said it to me. He's never said it to anyone." AJ argued.

"You're scaring him." Maria warned her. "You know what happens when he gets scared."

"He becomes a moody prick." AJ smirked. "That will be your problem."

"You're going to go nuts if you don't at least say goodbye to him." Maria pointed out.

"I'll say goodbye." AJ shrugged. "It will be just me rambling on and him standing there with his back to me because I think he's at the level of angry where he's so angry he won't speak."

"I think so too." Maria agreed. "You know, I saw Bradford last night at the bar. Said he saw Punk the night you made your big announcement."

"Really?" AJ asked surprised. "What about?"

"Apparently he barged into Bradford's home and demanded he call the guy who offered you the job to take it back." Maria laughed. "He tried at least."

"Why would he do that?" AJ asked frowning.

"Why? Are you freaking kidding me?" Maria laughed. "He's in love with you and he's so stubborn he won't say it. Actually, he's probably afraid of you rejecting him."

"He can' think that." AJ said shaking her head. "He's with Aimee-"

"They broke it off." Maria said to her. "You know this already."

"If he wanted to be with me I gave him the opportunity to tell me." AJ said to him and Maria glared at her.

"What about what you want?" Maria asked her seriously. "Why do you think you're above it all?"

"Excuse me?" AJ asked taken back slightly.

"If you want to be with Punk then you need to speak about it and stop waiting for it to happen to you. You do it with everything in life! I love you to death but you don't fight for anything." Maria argued and AJ narrowed her eyes at her.

"My job is fighting. I fight for people-" She began.

"Yourself." Maria corrected. "Punk got you your job in the DA's office, Bradford helped you save your job, you made Bradford pursue you-"

"Why are you saying all of this?" AJ asked.

"Because you don't want to go and you want Punk to stop you and you're so stubborn that you'll actually go through with this awful idea just to spite him!" Maria yelled standing up. "Start sticking up for yourself. Punk has been taking care of you your whole life and then Bradford, start taking care of yourself."

"Maybe you should go." AJ said to her trying to hide her hurt feelings.

"Fine." Maria said walking out of the room.

* * *

AJ walked into the police station and saw Punk at his desk. When she made eye contact with Cody he got up and walked away from his desk which was opposite Punks and AJ walked over.

"Do you think I'm like my mom?" She asked Punk who briefly glanced up at her but then looked back at his computer.

"Fine. You don't have to talk, just listen." AJ said sitting on the edge of his desk. "Maria totally flipped out on me today and implied that I'm spoiled I guess..." She trailed off because she wasn't really sure where Maria was going with her statements. "But the way she described me sounded just like Bonnie and you know how I hate that comparison." she laughed lightly and looked at him but he still wasn't looking at her as he typed up his report.

"Do you remember how Bonnie used to go out every night and told me she was working?" she asked. "I knew she wasn't really working. You knew it too. If it wasn't for you and your mom I would have probably starved." She laughed lightly. "I don't think I'm so selfish as to leave a child alone in apartment like that."

"I mean, I'm not selfish and I don't know how I could be spoiled when my mother never spoiled me. Unless you're counting that time she snuck me into the carnival and left me on the tilt-a-whirl while she ran off with some clown she had just met." She said then smiled. "Do you remember what happened that day?"

"I know you remember." AJ said to him but he was still stone faced. "You were at the carnival with a date. I was ten and you were fifteen and you saw me on the ride and took me off of it. You let me hang out with you and your date and you bought me cotton candy and you paid for me to play all the games and won me this stuffed frog." she remembered fondly. "I still have that frog." She informed him and he shifted in his seat sightly. "It was my favorite birthday ever. Bonnie didn't even realize that you took me with you. She would have forgotten me there if it wasn't for you."

Punk wasn't even sure what he was typing but he didn't date look at her face. He wasn't sure why she was making her leaving so difficult on him.

"I guess I kind of came dependent on you." She said to him. "You always took care of me even when I didn't ask for it. So basically if I'm spoiled it's your fault." She teased. "You know I love you, right? And it's way more than just a family kind of love you are literally the most important in my life and even though you're mad at me right now, that's not going to change."

Punk finally looked up at her and she gave him a sad smile.

"I know you won't say it back and I think that's why you're so angry but I want you to know that you don't have to say it because I already know it. I've known you loved me my whole life." She said trying not to cry. "You've shown it everyday and I know we made things messy with this whole arrangement but the truth is, you didn't have to twist my arm. I had a crush on you since as long as I could remember. I don't know how you feel about the whole thing but I'm willing to turn down this job and try a new kind of relationship with you. One where we aren't just friends but we're lovers too. I know we're both stubborn and will probably drive each other crazy but I think that could be kind of fun." she said as a tear fell from her eye and she came off the desk and kneeled down at his side and looked down at her.

"I'm taking the first step and fighting for something here, I don't normally do that." She reminded him

trying to hold back her tears as she smiled. "Phil?"

Punk eyed her few for moments and looked right into her eyes. The silence was killing her but he finally opened his mouth.

"You should go to Tampa." He said in a horsed voice.

The sting of rejection hit AJ hard and she just nodded, almost in shock and stood up and walked out the same way she came in.

"That was intense." Cody noted walking back over to his desk.

Punk just glared at him and went back to his computer.

"She really laid it all on the line for you." Cody noted leaning back in his swivel chair. "I felt like I was watching movie or-"

"Shut up." Punk warned him.

"You're really just going to let her go after that?" he asked stunned.

"I've been thinking about this job in Tampa and she'd be stupid not to take it." Punk said to him. "That whole conversation was based around being selfish, what kind of a selfish prick would I be if asked her to stay for me? And I know that's what she wants."

"I think she just wants you." Cody shrugged. "And so what if you're acting selfish? Everyone has the right to be selfish once in a while."

"Not when it comes to her. She deserves a great job and good money." Punk said to him. "You heard her talking about her mom, AJ had no support from her and put herself through law school. She worked two jobs, would go days without eating- starving herself just so she could buy a new book and she knew she could have come to me for money but she never did because she is the least selfish person I have ever met in my life."

"You could have at least told her that." Cody muttered. "You know, it's not like AJ doesn't have a job here." he said to Punk. "She was making a really big name for herself actually. She doesn't want to go to Tampa she wants you to ask her not to."

"She'll resent me." Punk told him. "Maybe not today or tomorrow but we'll have a big fight one day and she'll throw this in my face and constantly wonder what could have been. I won't be the reason she has any regrets. I won't be one of her regrets."

"I think you're thinking a little too much about this." Cody said to him. "You know she only took that Tampa job because she couldn't stand to see you with Aimee."

"What?" Punk asked jerking his head to look at him.

"That's what Maria told me." Cody shrugged. "And now she already took the job without knowing you and Aimee and broke up and the fact that you won't ask her to stay she probably thinks you just don't feel the same way."

"It's a good job." Punk said trying to convince himself.

"Yea." Cody agreed casually. "Probably a lot of rich lawyers will fall over her. Chicago girl with her cute face and accent? But that wouldn't bother you, right?" he asked Punk who went back to typing on his computer. "Probably a lot of criminals too. She won't have any cop friends to look out for her. Actually she'll have no one to look out for her and she's so anti-social she'll probably always be alone-"

"Stop." Punk warned him.

"I'm stating facts." Cody said to him. "You think you're doing the right thing but you're not. You stopping her would probably help her in the long run." He shrugged. "You know she was just upset and made a rash decision like she usually does when she's upset."

"She's doing the right thing." Punk repeated more to himself.

"Nah." Cody said simply. "You just want her to go because you're a chicken shit."

"What did you call me?" Punk asked in a warning voice.

"You just don't want to be in a serious relationship, you love her and that scares the shit out of you." Cody said to him. "Now THAT seems pretty selfish. Let the girl ruin her life because you're too afraid to say 'I love you'."

"I've got to go." Punk announced standing up.

"You should give her flowers." Cody said to him and Punk eyed him. "If you chase after her at the airport, it's what they do on TV."

"I'm not chasing her down at the airport. I'm sure she's not leaving for a few hours." Punk said to him. "But I should talk to her."

"Yea and tell her you want her to stay." Cody added.

"I don't know what I'm going to say but I can't have her fly away thinking I'm mad at her. I should at least tell her the truth." He said putting on his jacket.  
"Cover for me?" he asked Cody who nodded.

* * *

Punk anxiously knocked on Maria's door and she swung it open looking at him annoyed.

"I heard you ring the bell, no need to-" She began but he walked past her and headed towards the stairs.

Punk jogged up the stairs and pushed open AJ's bedroom but all the lights were off and when he turned it on everything was packed up and empty.

"What are you doing?" Maria asked coming up behind him.

"Where is she?" He asked her.

"I thought she was going to see you." Maria said confused.

"She did but I have something to tell her." Punk said to her.

"She was going to see you then head straight to the airport." Maria told him and his face dropped. "Didn't she tell you she was leaving?"

"Yea but-" he began and looked around the empty room again. "I thought I still had some time."

"Nope. Her flight is at 10:15." Maria told him. "What happened? Don't tell me you wouldn't talk to her."

"Fuck." he said to himself and ran his hand over his face.

"She's flying out of O'Hara." Maria told him. "You can probably catch her if you put on your sirens and speed there."

"I don't want to stop her-" He began.

"Yes you do." Maria scoffed. "You two are driving me nuts with this back and forth. I'm sure I pushed her right into laying her out there for you and I'm willing to bet you stomped on it like it was nothing."

"Something like that." He hated to agree. "Fuck!" He yelled jogging down the steps again.

"It's 9:15 now." Maria pointed out. "You better hurry or hope she has a delay."

"Yea." he said a little bit in shock and walked out the door but walked back in before Maria could close it. "Do I get her flowers?"

"What?" Maria asked with a laugh.

"Flowers! Do I give her-" he started but Maria placed her hand over his mouth.

"You two are always thinking everything. She doesn't want frigging flowers she wants you so I suggest you get in your car and put the pedal to the metal." she instructed and he just nodded and ran towards his car.

* * *

Punk arrived at the airport at 10 on the dot and AJ's plan was already boarding and just about done Thanks to his badge and knowing the security guards, he was able to get through a lot of red tape. He headed straight for the door but the woman collecting tickets stopped him.

"Do you have a ticket?" The older woman asked.

"No but I have to get a passenger off of that flight." Punk said pointing to the door.

"I can't let you on without a boarding pass." The woman said to him and he showed her his badge and she tried not to laugh. "You're going to have to do better than that. Is this passenger in wanted or something?"

"No." He said quietly. "But she's getting on the plane and I have to talk to her because she thinks I'm mad at her but I'm not mad-" he stopped himself as she eyed him like he was crazy. "You think I'm crazy?"

"No. Believe it or not I hear this at least once a week. It's a bit of cliché." The woman told him honestly and he let out a sigh as they sealed off the door.

"It is, right?" he asked annoyed with himself. "This is why I don't date." He said to her more angry at himself. "And she's fucking crazy! She's going to drive me nuts and I know this and I still don't want her to go to Tampa." he rambled. "But I've known her forever and I don't know how to live without her." He told her and the woman frowned at him sadly. "She's all I have." he admitted to the woman. "And she told me she loved me and she didn't even want me to say it she just wanted me to ask her to try and I couldn't even do that."

"I would let you on if I could." The woman said placing a hand on his shoulder. "If you love something you let it go and if it comes back, it was meant to be."

"What?" he asked and the woman let out a laugh.

"You're not one for romance movies or books are you?" she asked amused.

"No." he admitted. "I'm not one for romance in general."

"Says the man who ran through an airport." The woman laughed. "Why don't you try to get to flight out to meet her?" she suggested.

"I don't even know where she's staying." Punk said to her then it hit him. "Maria would know." he said to her. "Thank you for all your help." he said to the woman and then ran off.

"I didn't do anything." The woman shrugged.

* * *

Punk walked through his front door and had only half an hour to pack and get back to the airport for the next flight. He didn't even call work to tell them he wouldn't be in for a few days. When he switched on the light he saw AJ sitting on his couch, almost like a statue.

"I know you're probably mad." She said slowly standing up. "But I can't go anywhere knowing you hate me." she cried. "It would be all I could think about it and I can't live like that. And I really want to try one last time and this is really hard for me." She choked out. "I keep spilling my heart out to you and it's painful when you just look at me, kind of like you are now." She rambled nervously.

"I got a ticket." he said holding up the printed piece of paper. "I was going to find you. I thought I missed you."

"Please." She pleaded as tears fell from her eyes. "Please ask me to stay."

"Stay." He said walking over to her and cupping her face gently. "Will you stay here and give me a chance?"

"Yes." She said to him. "But be patient with me." She pleaded as he rested his forehead against hers.

"I have nothing but patience for you, my dear." he reminded her quietly with half a smirk. "I do love you." he said to her and that's when her tears just poured out. "Don't go."

"I'm not going." She said to him and just as he was about to kiss her she pulled away and had a worried look on her face.

"Ape?" he frowned.

"I mailed out a few of my boxes. All of my work stuff." She said looking up at him and he let out a laugh. "It's not funny! I need that stuff." she said trying not to laugh.

"Take tomorrow off, I'll take tomorrow off." He said to her. "We won't worry about anything."

"I'd really like that." She said pushing his opened jacket off of his shoulders and he finally leaned in and kissed her.

Punk lifter her up and she wrapped her legs around him and dipped her head to kiss him, keeping her hands on his face. He carried her down the hall and pushed open the door and placed her on the bed. AJ was sitting on the bed with her legs dangling off and watched as he removed his shirt and walked over to her and still standing up and cupped her face and leaned over and kissed her tenderly. When he pulled away AJ pulled her shirt off of her own body and dropped it to the floor. Punk eased her up the bed. He removed her jeans and his own and before either knew it, he was inside of her.

Rough hard thrusts pierced her body and she knew he was marking her. She was now _his_ and it never felt more right. She had made a lot of big decisions in her life but this was the only one she didn't second guess. She didn't care if she couldn't get her job back and had to live in a box on the street, as long as she had him she would be content. AJ rolled him over onto his back and without parting their lips she now moved her hips up and down his torso, taking him and pulling him out repeatedly. For such a tiny woman, she was dominating him in bed and he was living for it.

Her body rubbing against his, her hips leading his, it was a lot for Punk and something he wasn't particularly used to but if this is what it meant to be in a relationship, he would have been in one a long time ago. His hands explored her bare back and he couldn't believe how soft her skin was. He breathed in her scent and let her take him to the next level. If it never got any better then this he'd be ok with it because he would never forget this night.

AJ pulled her lips way from his as the bed began to squeak and pressed her nose against his as she looked him in the eyes. He knew she was about to let go and he knew watching her orgasm would push him over the edge as well. A pleasured moan escaped her now swollen lips as she could feel her body betray her and he stilled her hips by wrapping his arms around her waist and pulled out of her almost completely then plunged back on which caused him to climax.

"You ok?" he asked brushing her hair out of her face as she rested her head on his chest but keeping their bodies connected in the most intimate way.

"Yes." She whispered closing her eyes. "Better then ok." She confirmed. "You exhausted me."

"Sleep." he encouraged kissing the top of her head. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Me either." She sighed in a sleepy voice.

Outside AJ had missed three phone calls from her mother and had a text message to wake up to.

" _Baby, I'm coming home and we have to talk. Love you!"_

* * *

 **A/N: Well, I couldn't only write so much with them not together. But don't worry I have so much more angst and drama planned and we meet Mama Mendez, don't worry I still plan on keeping this story light and fun (most of the time). Anyways, your reviews have all been amazing so thank you so much!**


	9. Mommy May I?

**Mommy May I?**

* * *

AJ woke up the next morning to kisses on her shoulder. Laying on her stomach and face buried in her pillow she turned her head to look at him and gave him a shy smile.

"Hi." He greeted in a tired voice.

"Hi." She responded shyly.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked and she nodded.

"You?" She asked.

"I did." he said with a sly smile. "Any regrets?"

"Never." She replied grinning. "But I do have to make some phone calls. The Tampa job, my old job, Bradford, Maria, the airport-"

"I'll help." He offered.

"But I really just want to hang our here all day." She said to him. "Does it feel weird to you?"

"Us? No." he said with out hesitation.

"Do you feel weird?" he asked.

"Nope." She said to him. "I feel satisfied and comfortable."

"It's almost noon." He informed her.

"I can't remember the last time I've slept that long." She grinned stretching her arms over her head.

"I'm going to take a shower then I'll run and pick us up a couple of burgers." He offered.

"I'd love that." She said to him.

Punk walked out of the bedroom and when he did he heard a knock on his door.

"Bonnie." He greeted stunned as AJ's mother walked right into his apartment.

"Phillip." Bonnie smiled giving him a friendly yet slightly flirty kiss on the lips. "You get more and more handsome every time I see you."

"I wasn't expecting you." Punk noted scratching the back of his head.

"Neither was my daughter even though I left her a message I'd be in town." Bonnie said to him dramatically. "She's always avoiding me every time I come into town! She didn't even tell me she wasn't at the DA's office anymore. Can you believe that?" She snorted. "I had to hear it from Bradford that not only did she move to Florida but they weren't engaged anymore!"

"Yea? That's odd." Punk chuckled nervously folding his arms and AJ walked out of the bedroom, her mouth dropped upon seeing her mother.

Thankfully for AJ her mothers back was to her and she was able to signal to Punk to tell her mom that she wasn't there. He understood their relationship better than anyone. AJ slipped into the bathroom across the hall and quietly closed the door.

"Is she ok?" Bonnie asked him.

"Uh- yea sure." Punk said forcing a smile. "You should try calling her again." he said guiding her to the door.

"I really have to talk to her." Bonnie informed him. "Her father wants to see her."

"Her father?" Punk asked amused. "The man who has no interest in her ever?"

"You know there were extenuating circumstances." Bonnie said to him. "In and out of jail-"

"Yea for not paying child support to you or his three other children and the drug smuggling didn't help much." He said to her.

"How do you know that?" Bonnie asked horrified. "Does April know he has other children?"

"Of course she does." Punk said to her. "She's known since she was 14 and figured out how to use the internet. I don't think AJ has much interest in meeting him but if I talk to her I'll let you know."

"I can't believe she didn't tell me she was moving out of Chicago." Bonnie said in disbelief.

"In all fairness, you didn't tell her when you were leaving Chicago either." Punk retorted sarcastically.

"You were always adorably sharp." Bonnie teased pinching his cheek. "If you talk to her, tell her to call me. He's only going to be in town until Tuesday and he really is anxious to meet her."

"Sure." Punk said opening the door for Bonnie who glided out of the apartment.

"Is she gone?" AJ asked poking her head out of the bathroom.

"Coast is clear." Punk confirmed and she stepped out fully. "Did you hear all of that?"

"I did." She said walking over to her phone and checking her messages. "Are you going to shower or am I going to shower?"

"You don't want to meet your dad?" Punk asked curiously.

"No." AJ snorted. "You said it all to Bonnie, the man has countless children and never had interest in me before. He probably found out that I worked for the DA's office and thinks I have money."

"True." Punk agreed. "So, no interest?"

"Nope." She said simply. "I don't needed added family drama. I have to focus on work."

"Just work?" He asked curiously.

"Well, us too." She shrugged cutely and kissed him. "But I have a feeling being with you will be the easiest thing I've ever done. I mean, we already know each other. There's no secrets."

"That is true." He had to agree.

"So, are you going for breakfast?" She asked.

"Yea. Just waiting out Bonnie." Punk said to her. "You are going to have to tell her you're not in Tampa."

"Yea but I figure I'll wait until I know she's gone." She said to him and he eyed her. "What?"

"Bonnie is a pain in the ass but she's still your mom." He reminded her.

"If my dad wants to meet me it's because she has some sort of motive." She said to him.

"He wasn't a violent man." Punk pointed out.

"I don't want to meet him. You know this." She said to him. "Remember how we always bonded over not having fathers in our lives?"

"Yea but I knew my dad at least." Punk reminded her.

"Don't you wish you hadn't?" She asked him. "Your dad took off on you and your mom."

"I guess." he said to her.

"You know I've never had an interest in meeting him. It hasn't changed especially at Bonnie's urging." She scoffed.

"Right." He agreed reluctantly.

"He can go visit his other kids or something." She said to him.

* * *

Ten minutes after Punk left there was a knock at the door and AJ opened it assuming Punk forgot his key.

"Crap." AJ groaned as Bonnie pushed her way in.

"I knew you were here. You've worn the same perfume since you were 15 and I smelt it all over Phillip." Bonnie remarked smugly. "You two are dating?" She asked noting her daughter was fresh from a shower with only a towel wrapped around her body.

"What are you doing here?" AJ asked avoiding her question.

"What are you doing here? Bonnie challenged. "I thought you moved to Florida?"

"Changed my mind." She shrugged walking into the kitchen and putting on a cup of coffee.

"That's it?" Bonnie asked.

"What do you care?" She scoffed.

"I do care. You just don't tell me things. Like how you called off your engagement the extremely wealthy District Attorney." Bonnie scolded.

"That's what bothers you?" AJ laughed. "That he was wealthy? I hate to break it to you, but I'm pretty wealthy myself."

"Then why are you living with Maria?" Bonnie asked.

"Because I needed a support system." AJ argued. "Maria and Phil were my support system after my engagement got called off."

"Did you cheat on him with Phil?" Bonnie asked curiously.

"Of course not." She scoffed.

"So you and Phil?" Bonnie asked.

"What about it, Bonnie?" AJ groaned pouring herself coffee.

"Mom." Bonnie corrected and AJ rolled her eyes. "I think Phil is a wonderful man. I really do. And very attractive but is he really right for you?"

"I don't know. That's why we're dating and not running off to get married." AJ remarked sarcastically.

"He's still just a cop right?" Bonnie questioned.

"You have some nerve." AJ laughed moving around the kitchen.

"What? I'm just asking." Bonnie defended.

"It's not like we lived the rich life." AJ snapped at her. "We lived in government housing, barely any food and my clothes always came from the salvation army. It's not like Phil is a step down for me, I'm a step down for him. His mom worked her ass off to provide for him and she always took care of me too."

"I took care of you." Bonnie frowned.

"You really didn't." AJ said to her. "And not only is Phil a Detective but he has an honorable job and I'm very proud of him."

"I'm not saying it's not honorable." Bonnie corrected. "It's just not-"

"Up to your standards?" AJ finished for her.

"Yours." Bonnie remarked. "But it's your life, I'm going to let you live it."

"Oh, gee thanks." AJ remarked sipping her coffee.

"I'm here about your father." Bonnie said to her.

"I heard you talking to Phil and I have no interest but thanks." She smirked.

"April, please." Bonnie pleaded. "The man has been waiting your whole life to meet you."

"That's not my problem." AJ said to her.

"He's not a bad man." Bonnie insisted. "He's not a violent felon-"

"I know what he is and I'm not afraid of him." AJ said to her. "I just don't want to meet him. I haven't had a father for 28 years and I don't need one now."

"Don't be selfish." Bonnie reprimanded.

"I'm not the one who bailed on child support and his kids." AJ shrugged. "He did and that makes him the selfish one. I'm also not giving him or you money."

"April Jeanette." Bonnie gasped dramatically. "I am offended you'd think this was about a handout."

"Isn't it always about a handout?" AJ questioned seriously.

"No." Bonnie said shaking her head. "I have hit hard times here and there but I'm doing great now."

"Yea? Vegas treats you good?" AJ asked curiously.

"Yes! I picked up work at the MGM as a server and the tips are outrageous." Bonnie gloated and AJ just rolled her eyes. "Don't judge me on what I choose to do."

"I'll try." She said to her. "Is there anything else?"

"Yes. I'd really like you to come meet your dad." Bonnie said to her. "Don't you want to know where your Hispanic roots come from?" Bonnie was NOT Spanish but AJ clearly took after her father's side.

"Nope." AJ shrugged innocently.

"Burgers are here!" Punk announced walking in the front door and saw Bonnie. "And so is Bonnie."

"I was just leaving." Bonnie said to him but looking at AJ. "I'm in town a few days, I expect to see you again."

"Don't hold your breath." AJ muttered and Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"I don't know how you put up with her attitude." Bonnie said to Punk as she walked out the door.

"She found you out, huh?" Punk smirked.

"I need new perfume." She grunted and walked into the bedroom.

* * *

Later that night AJ was unpacking whatever she didn't ship out to Tampa in Maria's guest room.

"I'm glad you're back." Maria said walking into her room and AJ looked up at her.

"I'm not going to stay. I'm going to look for my own place." AJ said to her.

"What I said before you left was a much needed kick in the ass." Maria sighed knowing she was still upset about what she said.

"It more then kicked my ass. It hurt my feelings." she said to Maria. "But it wasn't wrong either."

"You're not like Bonnie." Maria said sitting on the edge of her bed.

"I am. In ways." She shrugged. "If I would have left I would have been just like her."

"But you didn't." Maria said to her. "And Punk rejected you like twice in one night and you still didn't go."

"Maybe Bonnie felt rejected me and that's why she left the second I turned 18?" AJ asked more herself.

"Bonnie didn't want to be a mom." Maria scoffed. "The woman always put herself first. That's just how she was."

"Yea." AJ agreed quietly.

"So, how was the makeup sex with Punk?" Maria asked curiously with a grin.

"Oh god." AJ laughed.

"Seriously. We haven't discussed details. How big is he?" Maria asked.

"Maria." She laughed.

"We used to always wonder and now you have the proof." Maria said to her.

"He's very blessed." AJ remarked coyly and Maria's eyes lit up.

"So on a scale of 1-10?" Maria asked.

"A 10." AJ said to her and Maria rolled her eyes.

"You're just saying that because he's your boyfriend now." Maria said to her.

"No." AJ said shaking her head. "When I was with Jeff I was bored and Jeff wasn't awful but Phil is just different."

"Phil out sexes a firefighter?" Maria asked in disbelief.

"I hope so." Punk said standing in the doorway.

"Oops." Maria said putting on an embarrassed smile and quickly running out of the room.

"What? I said you do." AJ laughed at Punk's glare.

"Jeff is an idiot. All muscle and no brain." Punk said stepping into the room.

"He's not an idiot." She said to him.

"You're the one that slept with him." Punk remarked.

"Are we going to bicker over every person we have ever slept with?" She asked.

"No. We both have histories and it we both know about each others history I was simply making an observation that Jeff is in fact, an idiot." He shrugged. "I called the hotel in Tampa you shipped stuff to and they're going to ship it back."

"Thanks." She said to him. "And I spoke to the PD's office and I have my old job back."

"Did you tell Bradford you were staying?" Punk asked him.

"No." AJ said to him. "It's not his business. Besides I still have to go to one more disciplinary hearing about that William Devile issue."

"I saw him." Punk remembered. "Showed up where I was eating with Aimee, he's not a fan of being tailed."

"He's just gloating that he got away with rape." AJ said to him shaking her head. "Because of me."

"A mistake Ape, we all make them." He again reminded her.

"This mistake let a dangerous man walk free and left a woman feeling so scared she left Chicago." AJ told him. "I'll never move on from it unless I fix it."

"You let the police fix it." He reminded her. "Until then, want to grab dinner?"

"I'm still full from lunch." She said to him. "But I will let you take me to the movies."

"Will you?" He asked mockingly and she nodded cheerfully. "I'm not watching the Liam Neeson movie again."

"Fine." She said grabbing her jacket. "But I'm not watching that awful black and white horror film again either."

"It's a classic!" He argued. "Limited re-release!"

"Nope." She said to him with a shrug. "We can't see mine, we won't see yours."

* * *

Punk and AJ bickered throughout the entire movie over how bad it was and blamed each other for not sucking it up and sitting through one of their movie picks. They ended up at the bar sitting at a small table and munching on appetizers.

"This isn't so bad." AJ said to him as she ate a chip.

"You were such a child throughout the entire movie." He said to her.

"You were!" She argued. "You were so loud and annoying you got us thrown out."

"I wasn't as loud as you." He retorted.

"You're always louder then me." She snorted.

"That's not true." He remarked trying not to laugh.

"It's true. I'll prove it." She said to him with a smile, tilting her head.

"Yea?" he asked with a grin leaning in and before they could kiss a chair was pulled over and in-between them.

"Why did you guys get such a small table?" Cody asked sitting in-between them.

"We weren't expecting anybody else." Punk remarked annoyed, glaring at his partner.

"We're here every night." Cody laughed placing his beer down. "We're playing pool in twenty-"

"Ape and I will be gone by that point." Punk said to him and Cody looked at him then AJ.

"Oh! How rude of me." Cody said in disbelief. "Do you want to play too, AJ?"

"No she doesn't." Punk answered for her. "We were on a date."

"A date? Here?" Cody asked him. "Seriously? You just starting and this is where you took her?"

"What's wrong with here? It was going fine until you stepped in the middle of it." Punk said to him.

"I want a real date." AJ said to Punk. "One where we don't get thrown out of the movie theater."

"What's your definition of a real date?" Punk asked her curiously.

"Somewhere I can doll up a bit." She shrugged.

"Yea, like a nice restaurant or something." Cody added.

"Or a concert." She added.

"We've been dating for less then twenty-four hours, we'll have real dates." Punk said to her.

"You going to give him another chance after this?" Cody asked AJ teasingly.

"Hmm." She teased tapping her chin to contemplate the idea.

"I met your mom today by the way." Cody told her and AJ rolled her eyes. "She's a very flirtatious woman."

"Yes she is." AJ mocked downing her wine.

"She came by the station looking for you." He said looking at Punk. "Some guy was with her."

"Because you don't want to meet him, I have to?" Punk asked AJ.

"There's a motive. Don't fall for the bait." AJ warned Punk.

"Who is the guy?" Cody asked AJ curiously.

"Nobody." Punk said standing up. "Ready to get out of here?"

"Yes." She said downing whatever was left in her glass.

"Are you two going to not be fun anymore since you're dating?" Cody asked them.

"We'll be fun. But tonight I want to have my own fun with him." AJ said to Cody who cringed.

"What if your mom is at my place waiting for us?" Punk asked her.

"What if she's at Maria's?" AJ asked horrified.

"I've got an idea." He said taking her hand.

* * *

"I can't believe you still pay for this place." AJ said to him as they walked into the apartment he grew up in.

"My mom does. She thought she'd be back home more often and I use to crash sometimes since it's closer to work." He shrugged turning on the light.

"It looks exactly the same." She squealed. "I slept on this couch more then in my own bed."

"You did." Punk had to agree as he took his jacket off.

"It was more comfortable than my bed too." She smirked sitting down. "It doesn't weird you out bringing me here?"

"Why would it?" He asked.

"We were kids here." She reminded him.

"I had no thoughts of you like that when we were younger." he assured her. "I'm not a perv."

"But when did you start to think of me differently?" She asked curiously. "I'll freely admit I always crushed on you."

"I knew." he smirked sitting down next to her.

"Was it only recently?" She asked.

"No." he said to her. "The Christmas you came back from college break."

"Really? My first year?" She asked and he nodded. "We talked all of the time."

"Yea and when you came back you were still the same pain in the ass but you morphed into this mature woman." he said to her. "Mentally I was always attracted to you but it turned physical winter. I'm sure a lot of it had to do with the fact that you were over 18 finally and it wouldn't be perverse to be attracted to you."

"Such a good boy." She teased. "I like being here. It feels like home."

"It was pretty much your home." He shrugged. "You got ready for prom up here, spent the summers up here, almost every holiday and occasion."

"Yea." She sighed looking around the place. "My favorite place."

"Really?" He snorted. "It's a bit of a dump."

"Remember my apartment downstairs?" She asked.

"Yea I guess in comparison." Punk said to her. "I don't want to talk about our childhoods anymore."

"No?" She asked removing her jacket. "A little less talking?"

"Just a tad." He said as she began to kiss his neck and the hand she had resting on his thigh moved inwards. "Ape." He began as he shifted.

"What? Don't want to do it here?" She teased pulling her lips away.

"I'll do it with you anywhere." he said seriously. "But I have to get a condom."

"You keep condoms stashed her?" She asked pulling back.

"They've been here for years, they're under my bed." He shrugged.

"Like Jenny would let you have a woman here." She snorted a laugh as she stood up.

"I had plenty of women here." He informed her seriously as she just rolled her eyes and lifted his shirt off of his body. "Why are you looking at me like that? I did!"

"Right." She said to him and fell to her knees gently in front of him and spread his knees and moved in-between them.

"Not as often as I'd like but I snuck one or two over." He defended.

"No you didn't. You'd be afraid and knew your mom would beat the crap out of you." She laughed. "It's cute you would keep a box of condoms here though."

"They've been used!" He argued.

"Probably for whatever girls you bring here now." She said removing his belt completely.

"I don't bring girls here often." He said to her.

"Are you going to continue talking about other women?" She asked tugging at his jeans. "And help me out." she groaned and he lifted his hips and she pulled her jeans down. The fact that he didn't wear underwear was a positive.

"I really need to get a condom." He said to her.

"You really just need to sit there because we don't need one for this." She said to him and Punk bit on his bottom lip.

"You haven't done-" He began.

"To you, no." She said to him as she slowly licked her hand then placed it over him and began to stroke.

"Do you really want to have that conversation with me?" he asked annoyed and she smirked.

AJ held him placed and placed his tip at her lips and she ran her tongue over him and he hitched a breath and hissed at the contact. She took more of him into her mouth and he reached over and tried to pull her top up but she wasn't being cooperative. He pushed her shirt up just over her breasts which is the furthest he could get.

AJ was way too into it what she was doing. He was slightly alarmed by how good she was at this but he tried to push those horrifying images out of his head. Her mouth moved like a machine and he could hear the moisture against her lips. She matched the movements of her mouth with her hand and Punk was in heaven. His hands moved to her hair and knotted his fingers in it and tried to get her to pick up the pace, which she did.

Punk began to move his hips into her mouth and slammed his head back against the couch and growled as he felt himself harden in her hot little mouth. He knew he didn't have long and he didn't want to cut the night short but this was too good to stop. He had no doubt that after a short break she'd turn him on him again. He could almost feel himself about to climax in her mouth when the door slammed open, hitting the wall and then a loud scream.

"Phillip!" His mother yelled in horror and AJ quickly ran into Punk's bedroom and locked the door.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck." He muttered pulling his jeans up as his mother covered her eyes. "What are you doing?" he asked his mother as he zipped his jeans up, it was pretty painful actually...

"I left you a message I'd be in town tonight." Jenny said still covering her eyes.

"I'm dressed." He said annoyed as he put his shirt back on.

"I came to see your Aunt Jeanie." Jenny said placing her hand over her heart.

"Give me five minutes and we'll be out here." Punk said to her.

"Was that April?" Jenny asked him. "I didn't get a good look-"

"Yea." He said to her and she glared at him. "What?" he asked nervously. "You like her!"

"I love her." Jenny corrected. "Which is why I'm so surprised you're taking advantage of the poor thing who is going through a breakup."

"That was months ago." Punk said to her.

"Right." Jenny said skeptically. "You men are always thinking with one thing."

"I'm not." He said to her.

"That's what it looked like to me." Jenny scolded. "How long has this been going on with her?"

"I don't have time. I have to get AJ out of here." Punk said to her.

"I want to see her." Jenny said to him.

"Now won't be the right time." He said to her.

"Don't be ridiculous." Jenny scoffed. "I'm going to take a shower to wash off the plane smell then I want to talk to you both. Are you two safe at least?"

"Ma, stop." He warned.

"I'm just asking." Jenny defended. "You're the one who gave me a heart attack."

As soon as he heard the shower he went into his bedroom and couldn't find AJ.

"Ape?" he asked.

"Is she gone?" her voice called out and he bent down and saw she was under the bed.

"God damn you are tiny." He whistled. "No but she's in the shower and if I don't get you out of here now-"

"I'm ready." She said crawling out from under the bed. "I can never look at her again."

"You?" He asked mockingly as he followed her out.


	10. Devile

**Devile**

* * *

AJ was fidgeting at the table with the table cloth of the dimly lit restaurant as Punk scrolled through his phone casually.

"Why aren't you more nervous?" AJ hissed.

"It's just my mom." He shrugged keeping his eyes on the phone. "I don't know why you're so nervous."

"Um, do you remember what she walked in on?" She asked in disbelief.

"So? She doesn't care." Punk said putting his phone down. "She's walked in on my before. Countless times from when I was younger."

"I don't want Jenny to think I'm like the loose women you've dated." She said to him.

"First of all, my mom loves you. If we were both dangling off of a cliff she'd save you before me." He told her.

"That's not a lie." Jenny announced coming up behind them.

"Hi, mom." Punk greeted kissing her cheek.

"Jenny." AJ greeted nervously and she gave her a hug.

"I've missed you sweetheart." She said cupping AJ's cheek.

"See?" Punk said to AJ as they all sat back down.

"I'm sorry for interrupting the other night." Jenny teased and AJ looked mortified.

"Ma." Punk warned glaring at his mother.

"What?" She asked innocently.

"I told you not to bring it up." Punk hissed.

"We're family." Jenny huffed with a wave of her hand and picked up her menu. "And before we begin I have to get this off my chest-"

"Please don't." Punk insisted.

"Shush." She said to Punk and looked at AJ. "I think you and Phillip are perfect for each other!"

"Ma." He sighed holding his head.

"It's true." Jenny gleamed. "You two have loved each others your entire lives, it's so oragnic."

"Thanks." AJ said putting on a smile.

"But you're over the fiance?" Jenny asked and Punk shot his mom a death glare.

"Yes. For a while now." AJ confirmed.

"What happened honey?" Jenny asked sympathetically reaching for her hand over the table. "He seemed like such a wonderful, educated, handsome-"

"I'm right here." Punk reminded his mom, who ignored him.

"He had a different life. I didn't fit into it." She told her. "I would have made the biggest mistake of my life if Phil didn't point it out to me."

"You broke them up?" Jenny asked slowly looking at Punk. "I really hope April means this much to you and you're not just-"

"He was cheating on me." AJ told her and Jenny gasped. "Phil didn't do it for selfish reasons, he was protecting me, just like he always has." she said glancing over to him and he shot her a wink.

"He would always get a little jealous when you'd go out with a boy." Jenny smirked.

"Not true at all." Punk said honestly.

"Very true." Jenny snorted. "When Casey Andrews asked you out-"

"Stop." Punk warned his mother.

"It's such a cute story." Jenny said to him with a big smile.

"I've never heard this story." AJ said fully interested. "I liked Casey." She said to Jenny. "Never called me after the first date."

"Phillip scared him off." Jenny grinned and AJ's mouth opened in shock.

"I said to stop." Punk said to his mom.

"Why did you scare him off?" AJ asked him.

"He was jealous." Jenny answered for her.

"She was barely 18 and I didn't see her in anyway other than a friend." he said to his mom and looked AJ. "Seriously."

"Serious lie." Jenny snorted a laugh. "He knew Casey was out with that little loose girl from downstairs, what was her name?"

"I don't remember." Punk grumbled sipping a glass of water. "Beth." he mumbled quietly.

"That's right! He was dating that Beth girl." Jenny said to her.

"It wasn't jealousy, it was me protecting her- like I've always done." He reminded his other.

"You told Casey that April was the most beautiful girl in the world and she was so far out of his league that he couldn't reach you." Jenny told AJ who smiled.  
"Said that Casey officially blew his chance with the best woman in the world and if he called you again that he'd hit him."

"Why didn't you tell me that?" AJ asked Punk.

"It wasn't my business and I didn't want you to be mad." He shrugged. "It wasn't a big deal."

"Did you really think I was the best woman in the world? The prettiest?" She asked.

"I did and still do." he replied very casually and Jenny's eyes lit up.

"Thank you." AJ said placing her hand on his knee and kissing him sweetly.

"I love this." Jenny squealed cheerfully. "So, are you still working at the public defenders office?"

"I am- sort of." She said to her as Punk's phone began to ring.

"It's work." Punk said standing up and taking the call.

"Does that happen often?" Jenny asked.

"No." AJ said unbothered. "But we're both really busy with our careers and respect that."

"That's why you two always had problems with other people, nobody understood the passion you both had for your work." Jenny said seriously.

"I mean, we butt heads a lot at work." AJ admitted.

"Must be fun to makeup." Jenny teased and AJ blushed brightly.

"Oh my god." AJ giggled.

"I have to go." Punk said grabbing his jacket from off the back of his chair. "You two stay, have dinner on me." he said putting his credit card down. "You'll get AJ home?" he asked his mom who nodded.

"Everything ok?" She asked with a frown.

"William Devile is being bought in." Punk told her and she stood up.

"I should be there." She announced.

"No you shouldn't. There's still stuff going on from that." He reminded her subtly. "And you're still on leave so stay and have dinner."

"Fine." She said folding her arms defiantly. "But I'm ordering the lobster."

"You don't like lobster." He laughed putting his jacket on.

"It's the most expensive on the menu." She pointed out with a smug smile.

"I'd expect nothing less." He smirked and gave her a quick kiss. "I'll call you tomorrow morning, this could be a while."

"Alright." AJ said giving in and he grabbed her hand as he walked off.

"You two." Jenny gushed with a smile. "Now, tell me why Bonnie is calling me constantly to get in touch with you?"

"How much time do you have?" AJ teased.

"All the time in the world, I'll order the wine." Jenny said waving the waiter over.

* * *

Punk walked into the police station and right over to the interrogation room and peered in the window and saw William Devile.

"What did you get him on?" Punk asked as Cody walked over.

"What do you think?" Cody asked passing Punk a file.

"Rape." Punk said looking at the report. "Another employee of his dads." he spat bitterly.

"Can't go in there." Cody warned him as he was about to walk in. "He wants a public defender."

"Are you fucking kidding me? Again with this shit?" Punk groaned.

"He requested AJ specifically." Cody said to him and Punk just opened the door and walked inside and locked it behind him.

"You're not Ms. Mendez." William smirked leaning forward over the desk. "She's my council."

"She's not." Punk said to him. "She won't be working any case for you since she's not currently working at the PD office."

"Rats." William said snapping his fingers. "I'll wait for another one but I don't think it will be necessary."

"Why's that?" Punk asked curiously.

"I have a feeling you'll be getting word that this was all a big misunderstanding and I'll be walking out of here by the end of the night." William informed him smugly.

"You really think you're going to walk away from rape charges twice?" Punk asked in disbelief. "You have a thing for banging the help?"

"Nah, I do have a thing for Hispanic chicks." William winked at Punk.

"When I first saw you I thought you were some rich little idiot who thought he could get away with whatever he wanted." Punk said honestly.

"I am." William agreed.

"No." Punk chuckled sarcastically. "You're a serial rapist. You have a type, you have a routine and you don't even try to deny it. You're as dangerous as they come."

"If I'm so dangerous why am I always home at the end of the night?" William grinned. "Maybe I'm smart? Or maybe you think too much of me."

"I've done this a long time kid." Punk warned him. "You are-"

"What's going on?" Bradford asked walking in the room.

"It's the DA!" William cheered. "Did you bring your lovely fiancee with you? That is who Ms. Mendez is to you, isn't it?"

"I'm here to inform you that Rosa has dropped the charges." Bradford forced out and it almost made him sick.

"What?" Punk asked Bradford.

"Said it was misunderstanding." Bradford said and William laughed.

"That's what I was just telling Detective Brooks." William said to him then pointed at his handcuffs. "Anytime now, Punk." he said using Punk's nickname which caused Punk to jerk his head and glare at him.

"How is this possible?" Punk asked Bradford.

"Rosa said they had rough sex. She didn't even want to report him but the hospital staff made her." Bradford told Punk but looked at William. "Is that what happened?"

"If that's what she says." William shrugged happily. "Did you know that Detective Brooks dates a chick who looks just like yours?"

"Can I talk to you, outside." Bradford whispered to Punk stepping out of the room.

"Don't forget to uncuff me!" William yelled as Punk ignored him and followed Bradford outside.

"Why does he know so much about you?" Punk asked.

"Doesn't know that much." Punk defended folding his arm and looking into the window to see William using his free hand to wave at him.

"He knows enough." Bradford hissed. "You need to step away from this-"

"Why?" Punk asked. "I promised AJ I'd keep an eye on him."

"He requested AJ." Bradford said to him quietly.

"I know." Punk replied mocking his dramatic whisper.

"She's his type." Bradford added.

"AJ would kick the crap out of him." Punk said to him.

"He also seems to have a taken a special interest to you." Bradford pointed out.

"He thinks he's smarter than me." Punk snorted.

"This isn't the time to get into a pissing contest with some rich kid." Bradford argued. "This guy is a repeat offender and has money to buy him out of anything. So back off of him and have other people keep an eye on him."

"I'll try." Punk shrugged.

"Do better than try." Bradford warned. "I want to get him on something that will stick. I can't have him getting into your head, which he already is."

"Fine." Punk lied simply. "Whatever you say, you're the big boss."

"Don't mock me." Bradford sighed as Punk walked away. "Punk!" he yelled but Punk just ignored him.

* * *

AJ was in a light sleep in bed when she felt her bed dip and familiar arms wrap around her waist.

"I thought I told you to get out of here in case my boyfriend dropped by." AJ said seriously keeping her eyes closed. "He carries a gun."

"And knows how to use it very well." Punk added and kissed the crock of her neck and hugged her close to his body.

"I thought you'd be late?" She questioned.

"I don't want to talk about it." He groaned in a sleepy voice himself.

"He got off on whatever you tried to get him, didn't he?" She asked already knowing.

"Yea." Punk yawned. "I'll fill you in tomorrow. Has he tried to contact you?"

"No. Why?" She asked curiously.

"He requested you today for his defense." Punk said to her.

"He's just trying to get in my head." She said playing it off.

"Ape, he has pattern. Pretty Hispanic women." He informed her. "You'll be careful, right?"

"Of course. He doesn't know anything about me anyway." She reminded him. "You're not worried, are you?"

"No." He said honestly. "You're fucking tough."

"I am." She grinned proudly closing her eyes.

"But even the toughest people can trip up." He warned a tad more seriously. "You get that. Right?"

"Yea." She whispered. "I'm not worried."

"Good." He said to her shifting slightly. "You need a bigger bed in here." He groaned.

"I barely fit in this room." She giggled.

"Just a little bigger." he grunted trying to get comfortable on the double bed with her.

"You want to go back to your place?" she asked.

"No. I want to fall asleep next to you." He said burying his head in her hair and closing his eyes.

"I'll go with you, you have work in the morning you should be comfortable." She offered.

"No this is good." He said to her.

"You don't want to know how dinner with your mom went?" she asked.

"No. I'm sure she gushed about how cute we are, probed you for everything Bonnie is bothering you about and wanted more details on Bradford." Punk said as began to drift off to sleep.

"Exactly right." She said to him rolling onto her back and he moved his head over her chest and used it as a pillow and both were instantly more comfortable.  
"Goodnight." She said leaning her head down and kiss the top of his head. He placed a kiss wherever he could reach without moving more than an inch which was just over her chest and fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning Punk woke up in AJ's bed alone but the smell of food pulled him from any thoughts. It was intoxicating and he wandered down the stairs letting his nose lead the way to the kitchen where AJ was at the stove and Maria was at the counter eating.

"I told you he'd wake up when he smelled the food." Maria snorted standing up and placing her dish in the sink. "I have to go to work, you two have fun."

"Bye." Punk said running his hand over his face and AJ placed a dish of pancakes and bacon on the counter for him. "Yum." He grinned sitting there. "Coffee?" he asked and she side eyed him as she grabbed the pot and poured it for him.

"Don't get used to this. I'm just bored without work." She warned him.

"I know. That' s why I'm going to take full advantage of this." Punk said taking the coffee from her.

"So, what happened with William?" She asked.

"One of his dad's employee's was admitted to the hospital and she was roughed up. They called the police and did a rape kit. At first she gave a statement and said he raped her a few hours later after a big check from daddy Devile I'm assuming, her story changed." Punk said to her.

"What a slim ball." She said.

"That's one thing to call him." Punk said taking a big bite out of the pancakes.

"So, what are you going to do about it?" She asked.

"I told Bradford I'd back off." Punk said to her and AJ frowned. "But, I lied. This kid is really pissing me off. I just have to get creative."

"I have an idea." She said to him as he looked at his dish and ate. "I'll go visit-"

"You made this yourself?" He asked cutting her off.

"Yea." She said. "Anyway-"

"It's really good." he said cutting her off again. "You were always a good cook."

"It's instant pancakes and bacon." she laughed. "So, I can go and meet with him-"

"I need a shower." he said looking up at her putting his fork down.

"Why do you keep cutting me off?" She asked him.

"Because I think we both know each other well enough to know what's going to happen. I know what you're going to say and you know what I'm going to say and then we're going to get into a huge argument about it." He said to her and she seemed very amused by his theory.

"Yea?" She teased with a smile.

"Yea." He nodded. "And you're going to call me a jerk and say I can't tell you what to do and then I'm going to call you stubborn and tell you what to do and we're going to go back and forth until finally you get so frustrated you storm off and lock yourself in either your bedroom or the bathroom. Then that's going to make me feel bad and I'm going to have to apologize even though I did nothing wrong and we'll agree to not bring it up again because the idea was dumb to begin with anyway."

"Wow. "AJ whistled. "You're a psychic now?"

"No but we've had very similar arguments when you were working in the DA's office." He pointed out. "And I'll tell you what I've told you a hundred times and Bradford used to tell you, it's called entrapment and the case would be thrown out anyway. Just let me do the police work and you stay out of it since you're still in trouble."

"Fine." She said to him. "I guess we have had these discussions before..."

"Many times Ape, and I know you love this City and want to do your part and help put the bad guys away but you already do your part." He reminded her.  
"You're not a cop. You're a lawyer. Maybe you miss the DA's office? Is that it?"

"No." She said shaking her head. "I actually really like being a public defender."

"So it's settled." He said to her.

"You know, back in the day when we'd get into horrible arguments we used to makeup by you buying me ridiculously greasy junk food." She reminded him.

"Yea, not cheap." He grunted picking up his fork again but she gently took it out of his hand and put it down.

"Now if we were to have a big blowout argument we could makeup another way." She suggested and he looked her over, only wearing a pair of tiny shorts and a thin t-shirt.

"You want to have makeup sex right now?" he asked standing up urgently and she laughed.

"We didn't argue-" She began.

"We almost did though and that counts, right?" He asked and she teased him by pretending to think about it then nodded quickly. "That's what I thought." He said lifting her over his shoulder causing her to laugh.

"Shower!" She giggled as he carried up the stairs as fast as he could.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for the reviews all! Sorry the updates are a few days apart but I've been busy the last few weeks. Anyways, more sweet moments to come! Enjoying the slow build of them getting comfortable going from friends to dating. ;)**


	11. Guilty Until Proven Innocent

**Guilty Until Proven Innocent**

* * *

Punk was sitting at his desk filing a report when AJ walked out of an interrogation room with a smug grin.

"What's even the point of my job if you're going to release every single person I arrest?" He asked her seriously.

"Not every single person but this one was dumb." She scoffed handing him a piece of paper. "Bradford would never waste his time trying to prosecute this case."

"Are you saying I'm bad at my job?" He asked looking up at her. "You've been back at work for a few weeks now and you've been a little too smug and rude when it comes to people I arrest."

"You arrested her for possession of pot." AJ snorted.

"Is it not illegal?" He asked. "She was dealing it."

"You have no proof." She said and he rolled his eyes. "I'm done for the day." She announced with a grin sitting on his desk now.

"Good for you. I have to do another report now." He said snatching the paper from her.

"So you're not going to take me out to dinner?" She pouted.

"Nope." he said simply and she now glared at him. "I have more work to do now. You're making my job a tad difficult."

"Lame." She announced jumping off the table.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm not going to sit here and watch you work." She said to him with a shrug. "I'll go down to the bar."

"I won't be that late." He mumbled changing his mind about blowing off dinner now. "Just have one drink, bullshit with Maria for a bit and I'll be there."

"Then dinner?" She asked hopefully and he nodded.

"Yea." he said letting out a sigh. "But I'm picking. It's the least you can give me." he said to her dramatically.

"Ok." She smiled leaning over and gave him a quick kiss.

"Bye AJ." Cody waved sitting down at his desk across from Punk.

"Bye." She grinned then left the station.

"How can you two still be together after all the work bickering you do?" Cody asked him seriously.

"We've always bickered." Punk smirked. "She could be a janitor or work for NASA and we'd still fight. It's in our nature." He shrugged.

"Hey, Punk." An officer said walking over to him. "Is AJ around still?"

"No and she's done for the day." Punk told him. "So if anyone wants her for anything she's done for the night and she's off tomorrow and she has plans."

"You're off tomorrow." Cody teased and Punk just shrugged.

"Worked out that way." Punk said simply.

"There's some guy at the desk asking for her." The officer said pointing.

Punk turned his head and saw the strange man nervously tapping his fingers at the desk.

"Was he ever charged here before?" Punk asked as curiosity seemed to get the best of him. "She represent him or something? A family member?"

"He didn't say." The officer shrugged and Punk stood up and walked over.

"Can I help you?" Punk asked the man who eyed Punk amused.

"If you're AJ you sure have changed a lot." The man smirked but Punk narrowed his eyes at him. "You don't like humor, I get that- most cops don't."

"What can I do for you?" Punk asked him in a serious voice.

"I was looking for April Mendez. I heard she's a public defender and works here most of the time." The man said to him.

"Why?" Punk asked.

"Why what?" The man asked nervously.

"Why are you looking for her?" Punk repeated slowly and sarcastically.

"Oh." The man smirked. "You must be Phillip." he said extending his hand and Punk just looked at it. "Bonnie has told me all about you. You're very protective of April."

"Oh fuck." Punk muttered as he pieced it all together now. He eyed the man up and down and noticed something. "You're short and have her eyes."

"I didn't want to just show up here." The man reasoned. "But I just wanted to say hello."

"You think you can walk into her life and casually say hello as if it's nothing?" Punk asked AJ's father.

"I've met with my other kids and it's only April holding back and I've never met her before-" The man rambled.

"There's a reason for that." Punk said to him. "You did a lot of time over the years you also never reached out before."

"I wasn't in a good place." he said to Punk. "I was selling on the street-"

"Avoiding paying child support." Punk added.

"That's why I was selling." The man said to him.

"And how much of that money did Bonnie get for AJ?" Punk asked him.

"I didn't know about April until she was at least 3 and after that I sent money to Bonnie when I could. Bonnie even would send me pictures of her." he said reaching into his pocket. "I always keep this one on me." He said showing Punk the picture of AJ on her 4th birthday smiling in front of the cake that Jenny had baked for her, but Bonnie took credit for.

"She doesn't want to know you man." Punk told him bluntly. "She's made herself really clear about that to Bonnie."

"I know." he said letting out a breath. "Just thought I'd give it a shot."

"I'll tell her you came by." Punk said to him. "But don't get your hopes up."

"I'll leave my name and number." He offered anxiously.

"I know your name and number." Punk informed him and the man smiled.

"Of course you looked into me." The man said to him and Punk didn't respond. "I'm glad my daughter has you to look out for her. Nice meeting you." he said to Punk then left.

* * *

AJ walked up to the bar that was very crowded tonight and was pleased when the regular bartender handed her the glass of wine she ordered every time she was in.

"Thanks Clark." AJ smiled placing money on the bar.

"It's covered." He said to her. "That guy paid for it." he said pointing to the corner but the bar was so crowded she couldn't see anybody.

AJ just left a tip and walked to the back of the bar where there was a small two person table that was just opening and shot into the seat.

"I didn't picture you for a white wine kind of gal." William Devile smirked sitting across from her. "I always imagined you into something a little harder."

"What are you doing?" AJ asked narrowing her eyes.

"I'm here to offer you an olive branch." William said sipping on his scotch and leaning over the table slightly.

"Keep it." AJ replied coldly.

"I want to hire you as my private attorney." William said to her.

"No." AJ said to him stiffly.

"You didn't even hear my offer." William laughed. "You'll make so much money-"

"I prefer being able to sleep at night." She shot back at him.

"How do you sleep at night?" William asked curiously taking a long sip of his scotch but not taking his eyes off of her. "You have to be too much of a prude to sleep naked. Maybe in little shorts? Little lace panties?"

"You're disgusting." AJ laughed in disbelief.

"You cling to your man while you sleep? I hate clingers." He informed her and she rolled her rolls.

"I think you prefer your sleeping partners screaming and restrained." AJ responded.

"You do cuffs?" he asked intrigued.

"No but her boyfriend the cop does." Maria announced standing over them. "You're in my seat."

"Beautiful." William grinned standing up and grabbing his glass. "What can I get you?"

"Some space." Maria said sitting down and shooing him off.

"Think about my offer." William said to AJ raising his glass to her one final time before finishing his drink and leaving the glass on their table.

"Rude." Maria scoffed. "Who was that?"

"That's William Devile." AJ whispered as she watched him walk out of the bar.

"That rapist who almost got you fired?" Maria asked horrified. "You have drinks with him now?"

"I didn't invite him." AJ insisted drinking her wine.

"What was his offer?" Maria asked.

"He wanted to retain me." AJ told her.

"I bet he did." Maria snorted looking over the drink menu.

"As his lawyer." AJ corrected.

"Sure." Maria said to her with a snort. "I wonder how much money you'd make?"

"No amount of money would be worth working for him. I've seen what happens to the women who work for him." AJ remarked coldly.

"Punk wouldn't let you do it anyway." Maria laughed but AJ glared at her. "What?"

"He wouldn't let me?" AJ asked and Maria laughed again.

"Whether you were dating or not he would never let you go work for him." Maria said to her. "And you know it's true! He wouldn't tell you 'no' but he'd talk you out of it and if that didn't work he'd sabotage the job for you. Just like when you got the job at the supermarket and he thought the manager was hitting on you."

"I forgot about that." AJ laughed. "I was only 16! The manager was like 30."

"Yes and when Punk saw him drop you off after work he tried to convince you to quit and when that didn't work-" Maria began to remind her.

"He showed up for every shift and sat next to my register until I quit from embarrassment." AJ remembered.

"He's always had your best interests at heart." Maria said to her. "You should tell him about that creep though."

"What creep?" Punk asked walking over. "Need me to beat someone up for you?" he asked AJ who let out a laugh that was a little too loud. "She laughs like that because she thinks she'd do a better job beating someone up." He told Maria as he grabbed a chair and pulled it over.

"She probably could." Maria had to admit.

"I'm not disagreeing." Punk said looking towards AJ who was still giggling. "How much did you drink already?"

"Just half of this glass." She said to him.

"So, what happened? Who was the brave soul to make a pass at you?" he asked glancing around the bar.

"I got offered a job." She told him.

"What kind of a job? And before you finish that sentence remember I'm a vice Detective." He warned her and she slapped his arm playfully.

"Not that kind of a job!" She corrected trying not to laugh. "William Devile was trying to get into my head."

"Wait, what?" he asked looking around more carefully. "He was here?"

"He offered to take me on retainer." She informed Punk who just put on a sarcastic smile and nodded.

"How nice." He forced out. "That all?"

"What are you doing here by the way?" AJ asked curiously. "I thought you'd be stuck at work a lot longer. I would have just waited for you."

"Cody offered to do the paperwork." Punk told her and Maria grunted and stood up and walked out of the bar. "What?" he asked AJ.

"She's been seeing Cody." AJ told him. "You're a cop and didn't pick up on that?"

"No." He shrugged. "Your dad came by the station looking for you."

"You're kidding?" AJ asked with a laugh and he shook his head. "What was he like?"

"He was ok." Punk shrugged. "He really wanted to meet you. I told him you weren't interested."

"Thanks." She said to him. "So, do you want to go get dinner now?"

"That's it?" Punk asked with a smirk.

"You know I have no interest in him." She reminded him. "He can't seem to take 'no' for an answer."

"Sounds like someone I know." He said glancing at her.

"Don't go there." AJ warned him.

"He seemed nice." Punk said to her.

"I'm sure he is for a criminal." AJ said to him casually.

"There's worse criminals out there." Punk reminded her. "Such as the one that has just offered you a job."

"Don't be stupid." AJ said to him. "I wouldn't go work for William. He knew it too, don't know why he asked." she took another sip of her wine and shook her head slightly.

"What's wrong?" he frowned.

"I'm so dizzy." She admitted holding her head.

"Yea?" He asked placing his hand on her shoulder. "Ape?" he asked as she struggled to keep her eyes open. "How many glasses did you drink?"

"Just this one." She said. "Can you take me home?" she asked him.

"Yea." He said concerned standing up and helped her out of her chair but she almost fainted. "Ape!" He yelled out but she was out cold and eased her onto the floor.

"She alright?" someone asked leaning over.

"Call an ambulance." Punk instructed as he checked for a pulse. "You're ok." He whispered to AJ who was out cold. He forced her eyelids up and saw how dilated they were and knew what happened. "It's ok." he said to her and looked behind him. "Did you call that ambulance!" he yelled back.

* * *

AJ opened her eyes up in the hospital and saw Punk sitting next to her looking at his phone.

"Hi." AJ said to him and he put his phone away immediately.

"Hey babe." he smiled leaning forward over the bed.

"Why am I here?" She asked noting her surroundings. She was in an emergency room and had no idea why.

"You fainted at the bar." He said to her.

"The bar?" She asked.

"You don't remember being there?" he asked and she shook her head. "You were there and we were talking and you fainted."

"Weird." She said trying to sit up.

"No weird." He said to her. "Someone spiked your drink. Since you don't remember being at the bar I don't suppose you remember someone messing with your drink."

"No." She admitted tiredly.

"William Devile was there. I had Cody talk to the bartender. William ordered the wine and he served it to him then instructed him to give it to you." Punk told her.

"I don't remember any of that." AJ said to him. "I'll try."

"You won't be able to." He said to her. "I spoke to Maria too, she said he was making some sexual remarks to you."

"I can't remember Phil." She groaned holding her head. "My head is pounding."

"Ok." He said to her.

"Are you going to arrest him?" She asked.

"He was bought in for questioning." Punk told her. "He had nothing on him and there's no proof. That's the thing with roofies, the evidence get's erased."

"Why would he drug me?" She asked and he glared at her. "He's never drugged any of his other victims before."

"Maybe he has and there's more we don't know about." He suggested.

"And I helped him get released." She frowned.

"No." he said shaking his head.

"Yes." AJ argued sitting up. "I deserved this. It's my karma."

"Don't say stupid shit like that." he warned her.

"Don't tell me how to feel." AJ warned him back. "I want to go home."

"They'll release you soon." He said to her.

"He's going to keep doing this to other women." She said to Punk. "You have to stop him. Promise me."

"I promise." He said to her.

"Hey." Bradford greeting walking over them. "I heard what happened, how are you feeling?"

"Like shit." AJ grumbled holding back tears.

"Don't feel guilty." Bradford said to her.

"Anything to hold him on?" Punk asked him.

"No, of course not." Bradford said to him then looked at AJ. "But we will get him."

"So what does AJ do now?" Punk asked him. "We just send her off and hope he doesn't slip her anything else?"

"He's slipping." Bradford said to Punk.

"So we just wait until someone else gets raped?" AJ asked them. "That's not right!"

"I think you need some rest." Bradford said to her.

"You don't know what I need." AJ snapped at him getting out of the bed and almost stumbling.

"Ape-" Punk began but she shot him a look that scared him.

"I'm going to the nurses station and signing myself out and you can either stop trying to make me feel better or take me home. Because the last thing I need to hear is you telling me this isn't my fault. I'd rather walk then listen to you." she snapped then walked off as quickly as possible.

"You're a lucky man." Bradford said to Punk who stood up with a grunt.

"She's just cranky." Punk said to him. "I don't blame her. I'm getting real cranky myself." he warned Bradford.

"Trust in the system." Bradford said to him.

"I work for the system- I enforce it- I AM the system." Punk reminded him. "I just don't want AJ to be the victim that gets us William."

"She won't be." Bradford said to him. "We'll get him."

"We better or I'm going to get him." Punk warned him then followed after AJ.

* * *

The next night AJ was in her office in the public defenders office. At around two in the morning her office door opened and Punk poked his head in.

"Hi." He greeted.

"Hi." She replied quietly as she read a file.

"Need a ride?" he offered.

"Nope." She said keeping her eye on the file.

"Why are you pissed at me?" He asked her closing the door behind him.

"I'm not." She said looking up at him. "I'm pissed at me."

"So you're taking it out on me?" He asked sitting in the chair across from her desk.

"I'm not. I'm taking it out on me." She said closing her file. "I'm just trying to make sure I don't make the same mistake again."

"People learn from their mistakes." Punk reminded her. "You can't beat yourself up forever."

"I would if I could." She said to him. "You have no idea how guilty I feel."

"It really wasn't on you Ape, I barged in there and threw you off." He reminded her.

"I was breaking the rules and putting myself in danger." She reminded him.

"One of my first arrests as a rookie I forgot to read the suspect their rights." Punk admitted. "It wasn't only for possession but it ate at me. He ended up selling dope to some kids and one of them died because it was laced. I carry it with me everyday."

"You didn't lace the drugs." She said to him.

"And you're not raping these women." He argued. "Stop working yourself into the ground."

"It distracts me." She admitted.

"Let me distract you." He suggested and she smirked. "We haven't had a night together in days and I owe you dinner."

"You do owe me dinner." She agreed seriously. "It's late for that tonight."

"We'll go to the diner and then we'll go back to my place." he offered standing up and walking behind her desk and pulled her chair out for her.

"Why your place?" she asked.

"Because at yours I'm afraid Maria is listening." He said and she laughed.

"She doesn't listen you perv." She laughed as Punk grabbed her jacket and held it open for her.

"Now I'm afraid I'm going to bump into Cody." He said to her and she laughed.

"That will happen at some point." She warned him. "He's been spending a lot of nights at the house."

"Ugh." He groaned disgusted. "By the way, my aunt is getting married next weekend."

"I know. Jenny told me." AJ said to him. "I've been waiting for you to ask me but I started to worry you had a different date."

"I had no intentions of going but Jenny is bullying me into which means you have to come with me." he told her.

"What a way to ask me." She teased.

"Babe, will you please come suffer through a four hour family event that will surely make you want to scream or fall asleep from being so fucking boring?" he asked dramatically.

"Yes." She said to him simply. "I already picked out my dress."

"For someone who wasn't sure I was going to ask her you seem awfully prepared." He noted.

"I would have showed up anyway. You think you I'd let you go to a wedding alone where all the single women would be throwing themselves at you? Never. I would have crashed that wedding." she told him.

"Jealous Ape." he smirked.

"You know it." She stated proudly. "You're only dancing with me."

"I don't dance." He reminded her.

"You'll dance with me." She said simply.

"You can't just bully me into things." he laughed but she didn't find it funny. "I don't dance."

"You're going to dance with me." She repeated cutely. "And then I'm going to take you back to my place and reward you."

"Reward?" he asked intrigued.

"Anything you want." She said leaning into his body and looking up at him.

"Anything?" he asked and she nodded slowly biting on her bottom lip. "Even with the cuffs?"

"Yup." She said to him and face lit up.

"I can dance." He said brushing off his previous comments. "How hard can it be?"

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for the reviews everyone! As for the AU characters and why I choose to make up characters then wrestlers most of the time (love this question btw!) I try to include wrestlers but I find myself wasting too much time trying to decide who would fit best and to be honest, I don't watch wrestling anymore. An occasional pay-per-view here or there and I don't really know their personalities too well to feel comfortable writing them. I'd love to include more because I like that it gives you all a clear vision of what everyone looks like but I struggle with it lol I am trying to work on that though.**

 **Thanks again for the reviews! You all are fantastic!**


	12. Punk

**Punk**

* * *

AJ was sitting at a table at the wedding reception for Punk's aunt. She was glaring at him and holding her fork a little too tightly.

"So, what happened to your knee?" Jenny, Punk's mom asked him.

By pure "luck" Punk had twisted his knee the night before at work and that meant AJ's dancing partner wouldn't be able to dance. She knew he was lying and it pissed her off.

"I was chasing a perp last night and I twisted my knee." Punk shrugged and he too glared in AJ's direction.

The perp was an 18 year old boy that AJ had gotten released two weeks ago and he blamed her for the entire thing.

"That's too bad." Jenny frowned.

"It's not my fault." Punk defended. "Blame April."

"April?" Jenny mocked. "You never call her that."

"He's mad I do my job well and clearly he struggles doing his own seeing as how I always get everyone released and he can't even run." AJ shot back at Punk but was looking at Jenny.

"You need to really start fucking thinking before you start releasing everyone." Punk warned her.

"It's enough you two." Jenny warned as they weren't at the table alone.

"I'm great at my job and you can't stand that." AJ argued.

"I can stand it I just can't stand the fact that everyone you get released I have to arrest again a week later and now I'm hurt." He pointed out.

"You're not hurt." She mocked. "You're just trying to piss me off by saying you're hurt because you knew I wanted to dance."

"Not everyone is innocent April." Punk argued right back.

"Yes they are- until proven guilty." She spat at him.

"If I'm arresting them, they're guilty." he said to her.

"You're so full of shit." She said to him. "You have a quota."

"No I don't." He laughed. "I'm not some beat cop."

"Phillip, April." Jenny warned in a more stern voice. "If you two can't sit in peace then don't sit together."

"I tried not to come." AJ told her. "You made me." She said pointing at Jenny.

"Because this is just silly." Jenny said to her.

"I'm not leaving." Punk said simply. "My knee hurts." He said looking at AJ who stood up and rolled her eyes.

"Where are you going?" Jenny asked sadly.

"Table 8, it's practically empty." AJ said grabbing her purse and shawl and stomped over to the table that only had a few occupants.

"Was that nice?" Jenny asked him.

"She's acting like a spoiled kid." Punk said to Jenny.

"Just apologize to her. It's not her fault that you twisted your knee." Jenny said to him.

"It really is though." Punk said to her. "She's doubled my work and not just on the streets but in paperwork."

"Maybe you can take this as a challenge and step up your game." Jenny shrugged.

"You always take her fucking side." He said annoyed.

"Don't be a child Phil." Jenny laughed. "She's your girlfriend and she's all upset. She's here for you tonight."

"You should have let her stay home." Phil said to Jenny who shook her head.

"You two are going to be so much fun when you're an old married couple." she teased.

"Marry her? I'm trying to refrain from strangling her." Punk said to his mother honestly.

"Don't be so dramatic Phil." Jenny shushed him. "And don't let her sit over there alone."

"She's not alone there's a few people there." Punk shrugged. "I'm not going to do what everyone used to do when she'd get upset and act out- chase after her and apologize for something I didn't even fucking do. I know AJ, and she just needs a little time to think and realize she's wrong."

* * *

By the time the first course came around AJ was having a grand time at her new table. Great wine at the table, great food and everyone at the table was so friendly to her.

"April Mendez?" A voice asked and she looked up to see a handsome man around Punk's age.

"Christopher?" AJ grinned standing up and throwing her arms around him.

"God damn." he whistled pulling away from the hug. "I wasn't sure that was you. Your face is as beautiful as ever but your body has matured."

"It's been a long time." AJ noted trying not to blush.

"I haven't seen you since Phil's 23rd birthday party I believe." Chris noted with a nod. "Why aren't you sitting with my cousin by the way?"

Chris was Punk's cousin and they were pretty close growing up but Chris moved to Washington about ten years ago and her nor Punk had seen him since.

"He's a jerk." AJ shrugged with a smile and he let out a laugh.

"You got stuck at the acquaintance table." Chris whispered into her ear and she let out a giggle which caused Punk to look over, unimpressed to his cousin whispering into his girlfriends ear.

"I was at Phil's table but he's ruining my good time." She said to him. "I wasn't invited as his guest."

"I always used to joke you two would get married someday." Chris said to her.

"That's not happening." AJ laughed loud and Punk's hand tightened around the napkin he was holding. "Did you say hi to him?"

"I did and he didn't mention you were even here." Chris said to him and AJ narrowed her eyes at him. "I really can't get over how gorgeous you've become."

"So I was ugly?" AJ asked.

"No! Of course not." Chris corrected quickly. "I always thought you were pretty but Punk didn't like me saying that." he laughed. "He always looked at for you like a sister."

"Ew." AJ cringed slightly.

"What?" Chris asked amused.

"Nothing." She said brushing it off.

"Can you do me a favor AJ?" he asked and she nodded. "My mom is ripping me for not bringing someone with me, could you come up for once dance with me so she can get a picture and shut up?"

"I don't think so." She said then looked over to Punk who was shooting her death glares.

"Just one dance." Chris pleaded. "I'll let you lead."

"I can't lead." She laughed.

"Good, I kind of like to lead." Chris said taking her hand before she could argue and pulled her onto the dance floor. "I'm not a bad dancer." he promised as he whisked her into the floor.

"Yea." She said with a little sadness. She'd rather be dancing with Punk but he was stubborn.

"You ok?" Chris asked as they swayed to the slow song.

"Yea." She said quietly and felt Chris tug her tight against his body.

"You know I have a room here in the hotel." he whispered into her ear and she rolled her eyes.

"Chris-" She began and felt his hand lower to her butt and she wasn't sure whether she should laugh at him or push him.

"We're both adults AJ." He grinned then felt a hard hand on his shoulder.

"Punk?" Chris smiled and turned to face him as he let AJ go and she knew where this was going.

"Why are you groping my girl?" Punk asked him curiously.

"Your girl?" Chris asked looking back at AJ.

"I was about to tell you." AJ said to him.

"I didn't know you two were a thing." Chris assured him.

"Did you think she crashed this wedding?" Punk asked slowly.

"No. She said she was your date-" he began.

"So you pulled her up here and grabbed her ass anyway?" Punk asked tilting his head.

"I thought she meant as friends." Chris reasoned. "How was I supposed to know? You used to say she was a dork and too awkward."

Punk looked towards AJ and her face dropped.

"Ape-" he started and reached for her hand but she pulled it away and stormed off to her table.

"What I say?" Chris asked as Punk went after her as she grabbed her purse and shawl and just walked across the dance floor and out the door.

"I'm sorry." Chris said catching up to Punk as he watched AJ race out of the hotel and he couldn't chase after her with a bad knee.

"You fucking asshole." Punk said turning to face him. "Why the fuck would you say something like that to her? Especially that?"

"That's right." it hit Chris then. "Her mom used to call her a dork and it bothered her."

"Do you have fucking brain cells?" Punk hissed.

"Stop." Jenny warned walking over to the two.

"How was I supposed to remember that shit?" Chris asked him. "Or that you were dating her! I wouldn't have invited her up to my room if I knew that!"

"You did what?" Punk asked stepping closer to him.

"He didn't know." Jenny reminded Punk. "Now remember this is your aunts wedding, both of you." she warned them both in a whisper.

"I apologize." Chris said to Punk who glared at him.

"I didn't think it would be possible for this night to get worse for me but then you fucking show up." Punk said disgusted. "Asshole." he said checking his pockets. "Can you take my mom home? Can I trust you to do that much?"

"Where are you going?" Jenny asked him.

"To find AJ who is running around the city at night all dressed up." Punk said pulling his keys out and then kissed his mom on the cheek.

"I'll be fine." Jenny said to him.

"Punk-" Chris started.

"Prick." Punk responded then walked out of the hotel.

* * *

AJ waved down a taxi and went right home. The whole night was a bust as far as she was concerned. She never should have went to the stupid wedding to begin with knowing her and Punk were arguing. She was slightly surprised he didn't even run after her.

"Maria!" AJ yelled out throwing her bag on the couch with her shawl. "Maria take me to the bar!" She practically pleaded and checked around the kitchen then walked up the stairs and realized Maria wasn't home.

AJ walked into her bedroom and began to unzip her dress when her bedroom closed behind her and she felt a knife press into her throat.

"I'll give you a drink." The voice whispered in her ear.

"William." AJ whispered and the grip around her neck got tighter.

"Shhh." He whispered into her ear.

"You should go." AJ said to him. "You don't want to do this."

"Not only do I want to do this but I think you want this." William said to her.

"You know you'll end up prison right?" She asked him as he turned her around and threw her onto her bed, causing her to land on her back. "I will see to it-"

"I've been thinking about." He said crawling over her, straddling her and placing his knife over her lips to silence her. "It will be worth it."

"You're not a killer." She whispered trying to control her trembling as she locked eyes with the serial rapist she let go free.

"I'm not. I'm not going to kill you." William said to her. "I'm going to dominate you. Like I do with all the other women who don't stay in line. You women get a job and you think you can do or say anything you want. This is a man's world- my world."

"Bradford will have you locked up for life." AJ warned him. "He'll make sure you get the max-"

"Maybe we've been sleeping together all along. It would explain why you let me off a few months ago." William said to her.

"No." She said shaking her head.

"Yes." He grinned. "And like I said, if I do go to jail it will be worth it. Big bad public defender who talks and thinks like a man is reminded of her place on the food chain. And your body, I've been dreaming about what you have going on under all of those layers."

"Please." She whispered and he grinned.

"Beg me PD Mendez." William grinned as he grind into her and she could feel his shaft hard against the thin material of her dress, pressing into her belly button.

"Don't do this." She was absolutely frozen. She had no idea how to fight, sure if her purse was here she'd mace him but he was much heavier than her and he had a knife pressed against her mouth.

"That's not begging." William frowned sarcastically. "Beg me to touch you."

"No." She said and a hard hand slapped her face.

"You work for me now bitch!" He screamed so loud into her face that her ears were actually ringing. "Beg me to touch you!" he yelled again and raised his hand.

"Please!" She yelled out before his hand hit her.

"Please what?" He asked hitting her again and she she lost her resolve and began to cry. "Oh, my, my, my Ms. Mendez you are a big disappointment. I expected more from such a tough broad like yourself."

"Just-" She began.

"Just what?" he asked eyeing her in a challenging way. "It's on you how bad this hurts." he warned her. "Ask me to have you." he said pulling out his cell phone with his free hand and pointing it at her and AJ just felt like dying. "PD Mendez..."

"I want you." AJ choked out and he grinned and climbed off her.

The second he did she raced for her door but his strong arm was around her waist. He used his hand holding the phone to place it standing up on her night stand and threw her back onto the bed roughly and ripped her dress open.

"Tell me how you've always wanted me." he requested as his mouth began to kiss her neck.

"I've always wanted you." she choked out trying to squirm under him but it was only arousing him further.

"Just like that Ms. Mendez." William grinned biting of her neck roughly causing her to scream out in pain.

William froze when he heard the doorbell and his head shot up and AJ was relieved. She knew exactly who was at the door.

"It's Phil." She told him.

"Boyfriend?" William asked her.

"Detective Brooks." AJ told him and his face dropped.

"Fuck." William said grabbing her off of the bed.

Her dress was ripped down the middle, but not completely and he placed his hand over her mouth and the knife to her throat again.

"If you scream I really will kill you and that's a promise." he whispered. "He's just going to leave."

"He has keys. He's going to come in and look for me. Let me tell him to go away." She said to him.

"No fucking way." William said to her.

"Trust me! I know him and he's not going to leave until he talks to me and he will just let himself inside and-" She stopped talking because William heard the front door open and his hand went over her mouth again.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck." William whispered to himself.

"Ape! I know you're here." Punk said and both could hear the stairs creek and William locked the bedroom door. "Don't be like this." he said trying to the open door. "You know I'm not leaving right?"

"Get rid of him." William hissed in her.

"Just go!" AJ yelled through her tears and Punk felt so bad he had upset her so much.

"I'm not going. I'm sorry." He said to her. "And not just for the stupid shit Chris said but for our fight about work. What you do is so honorable and I know you don't just let criminals walk free."

AJ closed her eyes tightly as tears streamed down her face.

"Now Mendez." William whispered into her ear.

"I don't want to see you right now Punk!" She yelled out. "I'm really tired and and I want some sleep. I'll talk to you tomorrow about this, Punk!"

"Ok." Punk said simply and they heard the stairs creek.

AJ was in shock he gave up so easily.

"Shh." William warned her waiting to hear the front door and when he did he was sure Punk was gone and tossed her back onto the bed and she let out a scream.

Before William could even get to her again her bedroom door was kicked opened and Punk was tackling William to the floor.

"Call 911!" Punk yelled at AJ who was in shock but just nodded and climbed off the bed and ran down the stairs to find her phone.

"I knew I'd get you motherfucker." Punk said turning William onto his back.

"She wanted it! I have it on tape!" William defended and Punk wrenched his arm so far back he heard it crack. "My arm!" William sobbed. "You broke my arm!"

"Did I?" Punk asked innocently wrenching it even further.

"Stop it!" He sobbed.

"How many women have asked you to stop?" Punk asked coldly. "You're never getting out of this one. You'll be someone's bitch in prison by the end of the week."

"They're on their way." AJ said walking back into the room, still shaking.

"Ape." Punk called out keeping his eyes on William who was crying. "Ape, what did he do?"

"He didn't." AJ said to him wish such relief she couldn't believe it.

"You have to tell me right now before other cops show up." Punk warned her but still looking at William and applying as much pressure to his arm as possible.

"I did nothing!" William sobbed in agonizing pain.

"Nothing Phil!" AJ swore. "You got him just in time."

"My arm." William cried. "It burns so bad!"

"Which arm?" Punk asked wrenching it again and the scream was blood curling that it actually frightening AJ. "That one?"

"Please." he sobbed.

"Please what?" AJ asked coldly as her eyes went blank and Punk turned to look at her confused.

"Answer her." Punk hissed at William.

"Please stop hurting me!" He cried.

"I think you like it. I think you're asking for more." AJ said walking over to him slowly. "Beg him to hurt you more."

"No." William whimpered.

"Beg him!" AJ yelled and Punk tightened his grip.

"Punk!" Cody yelled running in the room and Maria was behind him.

"Oh my god." Maria gasped placing her hand over her mouth.

"Let him go." Cody said to Punk. "I've got him."

"No." Punk said looking down at William.

"AJ, are you ok?" Maria asked as she pulled AJ out of the room.

"If you don't let go we're not going to build a case." Cody warned him. "Let-him-go." he ordered.

"He broke my arm!" William cried as Punk let him go and stood up and Cody replaced him.

"I heard sirens, they're right down the street." Cody told Punk.

"I need a hospital." William sobbed.

"Shut up." Punk and Cody spat at the same time.

"What happened?" Cody asked Punk.

"I don't know." Punk admitted. "I came in to talk to AJ she didn't answer so I let myself in and she kept calling me Punk and trying to get rid of me so I knew something was wrong- I heard her screaming and he was in here with her."

"I did nothing!" William yelled and Punk stalked over to him but Cody eyed him.

"I've got this." Cody said to him.

"Why was her dress ripped opened!" Punk yelled. "Why was her face red!" he yelled.

"Go check on AJ." Cody told him as he heard the officers enter the house.

"Brooks!" An officer yelled.

"Up here!" Punk yelled.

* * *

After the police took Cody and Punk and AJ gave their statements he took her to the hospital as just a precaution and it was good for evidence. The doctors photographed her cheek and checked her blood pressure which was very high.

"Ape." Punk groaned tiredly as she signed the paperwork to leave. "Are you really ok?"

"Yes." She said to him. "Thanks to you." she said looking over to him. "I was praying you would get the hint when I called you 'Punk'."

"That was the giveaway." Punk admitted. "Want to talk about it?"

"What's to say? You were right. I let criminals roam free." She said to him. "I did this to myself."

"No." he argued.

"Please don't try to make me feel better." She said shaking herself. "I pride myself on being the toughest woman in the room no matter who is in it with me and I crumbled tonight."

"No you didn't." He argued.

"You weren't there!" she yelled. "He told me to beg and I begged! I begged even before he told me to!"

"You were trying to stay alive." Punk insisted.

"I knew he wasn't going to kill me." She said to him. "He told me he wasn't! I just didn't want him to rape him. What does that say about me?"

"It says you're human." He said to her confused. "Not many women would just lay there."

"Strong ones wouldn't have begged. I'm not the woman I thought I was, I'm not the woman you think I am." She said to him.

"You're the girl I've known her life." He said to her honestly. "You think you weren't fighting but you were. You had a knife pressed to you and you did what he told you to do. Do you remember what I told you when you started high school?"

"My mind is all over the place-" she began.

"Remember April." He ordered in a stern voice.

"You told me the neighborhood was bad and if anyone tried anything with me to just do what they said. Give them what they wanted because you can replace things not lives." She repeated to him.

"You did exactly that." He said placing his hands on her shoulders forcing her to look at him. "I am so proud of you Ape. Don't ever doubt yourself. You were out matched physically and you didn't have a weapon. You walked out of this with a bruised cheek and that will heal."  
He was right, he was always right. AJ let out a breath she felt she had been holding since it happened and wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. He held her so tight she thought she'd explode but she was enjoying it.

"You called me awkward and dorky." She remembered and he let out a relieved laugh.

"There's my girl." He said looking up at the ceiling so she wouldn't see him smiling.

* * *

 **A/N: So, I didn't want my story haunted with William Devile and I'm looking to do small stories within each few chapters. First arc was friends with benefits, this was William and another light one to come next. Just wanted to try a different way of doing this one instead of having one big bad guy or one big plot take over the entire story. I'm enjoying watching them grown and bicker. Thanks for the reviews! :)**


	13. Rebound

**Rebound**

* * *

Punk was at the station, where he seemed to be overwhelmed with work for the past few days. All he really wanted to do was be with AJ who was given a few days off after the William Devile incident. He hadn't even gotten a chance to see William but he had heard he had to have surgery on his arm. It was broken in numerous places and there were torn muscles. Finally, at around eleven he found himself jumping out of his seat and ready to head over to AJ's.

"Punk." Bradford greeted rushing over to him.

"I don't have time. I'm done for the day and I'm off tomorrow-" Punk began.

"This is personal." Bradford whispered and Punk glared at him. "I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't important."

"Is this about AJ?" Punk asked.

"No." Bradford said as he waved for Punk to follow him into a private office. "Even though, how is she? She won't return my calls."

"She's alright." Punk said folding his arms. "I'd really like to go so I can check in on her."

"I'm sure you do and this will only take a minute." Bradford said passing Punk a file from his briefcase.

"What's this?" Punk asked skeptically as he opened the file.

"I received that letter this morning." Bradford said to him as Punk read it over.

"Someone is blackmailing you." Punk said reading the short letter. "For what and with what?"

"I have a ton of cases still open the letter says I'll hear from them soon." Bradford said.

"It's just words." Punk said reading it over again. "They say they've seen you with your boyfriend-"

"There's pictures." Bradford whispered. "Pictures that would not only get me thrown out of office but exiled from Chicago."

"They can't be that bad." Punk said to him.

"They are. You and AJ were the only two-" he began.

"Don't blame us for this." Punk warned him.

"I'm not. I trust you two which is why I've come to you." Bradford said to him.

"You have a justice department to depend on." Punk said passing him back the letter.

"Nobody in my office is aware of my personal relationship or what I do in my free time." He told Punk. "I need this handled quietly and by someone I trust."

"It's not much to go on." Punk said to him. "Where are the pictures?"

"I burned them." Bradford said and Punk rolled his eyes.

"You know it would just be easier if you came out publicly." Punk said to him.

"The pictures show...sexual role play-" Bradford began.

"What?" Punk asked taken back and Bradford rolled his eyes.

"I can't have any of it get out!" Bradford argued. "It will question my reputation and character then soon they're going to start appealing cases I've prosecuted-"

"Fine." Punk said folding the ransom letter and placing it into his back pocket. "I have nothing to go on right now so anything else you get, you give it to me."

"Thank you." Bradford said relieved.

"I make no promises but I need you to look at some cases and see who has the most to lose." Punk instructed him.

"They all have something to lose." Bradford said to him.

"Think harder." Punk said to him. "If you get something tomorrow just call me, don't come by because I'll be with AJ and I don't want her worrying about this."

"Of course." Bradford said to him. "Thanks again."

"Don't thank me until I get him." Punk said then walked out of the office.

* * *

Punk used his key to let himself into Maria's and saw Maria sitting on the couch watching a movie.

"She's here?" Punk asked and Maria nodded.

"She was tired." Maria shrugged.

"How is she?" he asked.

"She's fine." Maria said to him. "You know how she is."

"Yea." Punk said locking the door. "You get that back door fixed?" he asked referring to how William got into the house.

"Yea this morning I had the entire door replaced." Maria told him. "She really is ok, she was shaken up the first day and now she's going stir crazy. Your mom was here and made us a ton of food."

"Yea? Any left for me?" He asked anxiously.

"Yea but you should go up and see AJ first." Maria said and Punk nodded.

Punk climbed the stairs and AJ's door was opened on a crack and he pushed it open and saw the room was empty.

"Ape?" he asked.

"In here!" she shouted out and he walked into her bathroom and saw her in the dark bathroom that only had candles lit and she was in a bathrobe taking the temperature of the water with her hand. She was sitting on the edge of the clawfoot tub and the rob revealed her bare leg. "I thought you were working late?" she questioned as he bent down slightly to greet her with a tender kiss.

"I rushed out." he said to her as she stood up.

"Want to take a bath with me?" She asked grabbing onto his shirt and kissed his chin.

"Yea." He said quietly as he untied her robe slowly and let it lay open.

Punk pushed the robe off of her shoulders with ease and let it pool around her feet as she worked on his belt and he kissed her while she undressed him.

Punk climbed into the spacious tub first then held AJ's hand as she climbed over and laid in-between his legs and rested her back and head against his chest.

"How are you feeling?" He asked softly as she let out a breath.

"Really good." She assured him. "I've missed you though. Two days and you've been at work all of this time."

"I came by last night but you were sleeping." He told her.

"You're allowed to wake me." she said to him.

"I know better than to dare wake you." He chuckled.

"You're the exception." She said to him. "How's work been?"

"Busy." He said simply. "It's always busy."

"I'm going back the day after tomorrow." She said to him.

"At least I'll get to see you during daylight again." he teased.

"We haven't talked about the wedding or our argument." She reminded him.

"You were right." he said to her. "And I'm not just saying that. You have a job to do and you do it well. My knee wasn't hurt I was just pissed."

"I knew it." She said cheerfully.

"You could have not danced with my cousin tho." He said to her.

"He didn't even give me a chance to say no." She said to him. "He didn't know we were dating."

"Refrain from dancing with other men and letting them feel you up in the future." He said to her.

"Ballsy for him to grab my ass." AJ laughed.

"Yea, what the fuck?" He agreed and she let out a louder laugh. "The kid who was afraid to even say a bad word is grabbing asses now."

"He's all grown up." She told him.

"Dick." he muttered.

"You used to call me an awkward dork?" She asked.

"No." He said to her. "Chris and whoever else was around would always rag on me for being so close to you but not sleeping with you. I used to just say that to get them off my back."

"What a sucky thing to say." She said to him.

"I agree." He said to her. "I apologize." he said kissing the side of her head, the only part his lips could reach.

"Thank you." She said to him.

"For what?" he asked.

"For saving me the other night." She said to him. "You've been my hero my whole life. I don't know what I'd do without you in my life."

"You don't have to wonder about that or thank me for that matter." he said to her.

"I want to live with you." She announced suddenly.

"What?" he asked surprised.

"Yea. I think we should live together." She said not daring to look at him. "It's just an idea. We're always working and I know we'll fight like crazy-"

"Let's do it." He said to her. "You weren't planning on staying here forever, were you?"

"No." She said to him. "Maria and Cody are getting really serious and she needs some more privacy and we spend most of our nights together anyway."

"You can come live in my townhouse with me." He offered. "It's a decent size and it's closer to work for you."

"I don't want to pressure you into this." She said to him.

"There's no pressure when it comes to you. I'm not afraid of having you live with me. I know you better than anyone I know what I'm getting myself into." He smirked.

"It's a big step though." She warned him.

"It's really not. We practically lived together our whole lives." He reminded her. "I think this is a good idea."

"We're such adults now." She teased. "You need a bath tub like this though."

"I don't have a tub in my house." He frowned. "Just a shower."

"I like baths." She sighed dramatically.

"I'll get you a big tub." He said to her and she smiled triumphantly. "Jenny was here today?"

"Yes. She's been here twice." AJ smirked. "She was supposed to fly home yesterday but she refuses. Tell her I'm ok and that she can go back to her life."

"I will." he said to her. "What about Bonnie?"

"I haven't spoken to her." AJ said to him. "I'm afraid she's going to turn it into something about my dad."

"You don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with." He assured her.

"I know." she said to him. "I just want to move on from this last year and all the craziness. A broken engagement, almost losing my job, William Devile. I'm just ready to be stable."

"You'll never be stable." He laughed. "I love that about you though."

"What else do you love about me?" She asked.

"What do you mean?" he asked with a laugh.

"You're not keeping any secrets from me are you?" AJ asked him. "I'm not just for show for you like I was for Bradford?"

"If you think I'm with you to hide a deep secret you're crazy." He said to her.

"It's just-" She began shifting slightly so she could look at him. "You've loved me your whole life, right?"

"Yup." he said without hesitation.

"But not romantic love." She pointed out.

"No." He said to her.

"When did it turn to romantic love? Or are you with me just because you're comfortable?" She asked.

"What's with this?" he asked. "You know how I feel. I think it turning romantic came naturally. You just asked to live together and now it sounds like you're having second thoughts."

"Not second thoughts." She said to him. "I love being with you and I love you beyond friendship but how do I know you do?"

"What's going on, Ape?" he asked curiously. "These questions aren't yours. Did my mom put this in your head? Maria?"

"No." She said shaking her head.

"Someone did. Because you would never question my feelings for you." He said to her.

"It's just Chris called to apologize-" She began.

"He put this in your head?" He asked with a laugh.

"He called to apologize and see how I was." She said to him. "He just still couldn't wrap his head around us being together since we were friends for so long."

"I didn't expect us to be together." he told her honestly. "I didn't like Bradford, I didn't like any guy you were with but I assumed that was my own issues. When we started this friends with benefit thing I had a connection with you unlike with anyone else and it wasn't just physical it was emotional. It's like we tore away these layers and were able to be happy. And I was with Aimee trying to be with anyone but you because I was afraid these new feelings would taint our friendship but it didn't take long for me to realize it was worth the risk."

"That's all I needed to hear." She smiled relived and when she went to kiss him he turned his head.

"If any of us should be concerned it's me." He said to her.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"What do I mean? You were prepared to marry another man six months ago." he reminded her. "Am I rebound?"

"No." She said to him.

"How can I be sure?" he asked her.

"I can prove it." She told him without fear and he waited. "Right now?"

"Yes." he said to her and she stood up and got out of the tub. "This involves you leaving the tub?" he frowned. "I thought you'd show me by doing that thing I like?" he asked as if he was wounded.

AJ slipped her robe back on and was gone for a few minutes. Punk tapped his fingers around the porcelain of the bath tub then tried to think how he was going to fit a tub like this in his own bathroom without having to remove his shower.

"Here you go." She said passing him an old beat up book then removed her robe again and slipped back into the tub but sat opposite him on the other end of the tub.

"What is this?" he asked.

"My diary." She told him. "My most inner and private thoughts."

"You don't have to show me this Ape." He insisted as he opened the book and she laughed.

"So don't read it." She laughed.

"I mean you put it in my hand." He reasoned as she put the water back on so more hot water would heat the water again.

"You're right to question me." she said to him.

"I was really only questioning you because you questioned me." He admitted honestly as he skimmed some pages. "You thought the handy man in the building was cute?" he snorted.

"Oh come on!" she laughed. "Randal was very attractive. I was only 15."

"He was gay Ape." Punk laughed.

"Was he?" She asked stunned and Punk nodded. "He dated your downstairs neighbor."

"No wonder I always saw him going into the apartment." She said thinking to herself. "I really have issues picking gay guys out, huh?"

"Yea." He chuckled turning pages.

* * *

Punk was reading for fifteen minutes and AJ was happily relaxing in the tub while he did so. She could get used to having him around like this.

"Huh." He said reading something.

"What?" She asked opening her eyes.

"You realized you really liked me when you were 16?" He asked. "When I went out with Jessica."

"Yup." She said to him. "She was Maria's older cousin and she used to hang out with us and I looked up to her because she was so pretty and perfect and you were so into her that I thought you'd run off and marry her."

"She was so shallow." Punk laughed closing the diary. "Did you really cry when I went out with her?"

"The whole night. I stayed in my place and Bonnie was home and she had no idea why I was so upset." She said to him. "Then she invited her boyfriend over and I locked myself in my bedroom."

"Why didn't you ever tell me your feelings changed?" he asked her.

"I didn't think I'd ever be good enough for you." She admitted. "You were so cool and popular and I was a bookworm."

"You're nuts." he laughed. "Obviously, and I told you, when you were younger I didn't see you as anything more as a friend but we were kidding ourselves especially when you were out of school. I mean, everyone saw it. I got dumped so many times because the women I was with couldn't stand my bond with you."

"All of my boyfriends complained about it too. Except Bradford." She smirked. "Promise you'll never hurt me like that."

"Like Bradford?" He asked. "You don't have to worry about me sleeping with other men." He smirked.

"Other women too." She said to him. "Living together is such a big adult step we're taking-"

"I don't want to be with anyone else." He told her honestly.

"Promise?" She asked.

"I promise." he announced as he stood up. "You're turning into a prune."

"I guess it's time to get out." She frowned standing up and he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her petite body and placed a kiss on her nose.

Punk grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist and tugged her against him and pulled her into a searing kiss. AJ wrapped her arms around his neck and he caught her towel before it hit the floor and backed her over to the sink and placed it on the counter then lifted her so she was sitting on it.

Punk was so busy kissing her he didn't realize she was already untying his towel and stroked him. AJ could feel his fingers playing between her thighs at her core and she threw her head back which gave him the opening to kiss her neck. AJ just loved the feel off his rough and slightly chapped lips on her skin. She wished he could kiss her forever. Punk was the first 'manly' man she had ever been with. He had scars and cuts but he was so good with his hands.

"You are so..." he trailed off as he slipped two fingers into her easily. "Wet and ready."

"No games." She pleaded as she continued to stroke him.

Punk eased AJ's hands off of his shaft and grabbed himself and began to tease her entrance. Not only was he teasing her there but he was teasing her with his lips as he kept moving out of reach every time she tried to kiss him. It was so infuriating but hot at the same time. She knew good things come to those who wait, and he wouldn't let her down.

Punk eased into her halfway then pulled out of her all of the way and continued this a few more times as she grabbed him by the back of his neck and began to suck on his lips. She felt him finally enter her fully and she moaned in pleasure against his mouth. No barriers, just him inside of her and the two connecting in a way that only the two of them could.

Punk rocked his hips into her slowly at first and AJ enjoyed the slow pace, but it didn't last. Both of them were very impatient and they had a lot of stress and frustration built up. His arms moved under her knees as he lifted them and AJ used her elbows to keep herself up as he was now plowing into her with such force. She was absolutely crying out in such pleasure he was sure anyone in the home would hear her, but she deserved this night.

"Jesus!" She cried out as she came not once but twice.

Punk was right at his end as well and with one last hard thrust he came inside of her and he let out a grunt. He pulled out of her and helped her sit up. He grabbed his towel from off the floor and cleaned himself up and then to her surprise, he used it to clean her up.

"That was so good." She grinned grabbing his face and kissing him again.

"Fuck Ape." he moaned against her lips.

"I don't think I can walk." She whispered against his ear and he lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist and carried her into her bedroom and placed her onto the bed.

AJ wouldn't let go of her grip on him and forced him onto the bed with her. He was kissing her like his life depended on it.

"I want you all night." She told him.

"Don't challenge me." He chuckled against her lips before sucking on her bottom lip.

* * *

 **A/N: New arc with Punk and Bradford picking up! We'll see AJ's parents again too! Thanks for the reviews!**


	14. Robert

**Robert**

* * *

Punk walked into his house at close to 5 in the morning. He was working all night on a bust with Cody and just wanted to get into bed. He tossed his keys in the normal spot, a table by the door but he heard them hit the floor. That's when he turned on the light and realized the living room had been completely rearranged. He looked around oddly and saw the TV was elsewhere, the couch was moved under the window and there were now plants and candles all over.

"Fuck." He groaned.

"Phil?" AJ asked walking down the stairs rubbing her eyes.

"Hey, babe." he forced out with a smile. "Did I wake you?"

"No I have to shower and get ready for work. I have to be in court early." She said. "Oh! Do you like what I did?"

AJ had moved in a few weeks ago and he could tell it didn't feel too 'homey' for her so he gave her the green light to add whatever she wanted. He didn't realize he wouldn't be able to recognize his own place.

"It's different. I just have to get used it." He said picking his keys up and putting them on the coffee table.

"I just think it flows better this way." She shrugged.

"Yea I feel the flow." He forced out.

"You hate it and you haven't even given it a chance." She frowned.

"I'm giving it a chance but the TV is all the way over there and the couch is all the way over there." he pointed. "It doesn't flow in that aspect."

"Sure it does." She said to him. "You shouldn't have told me to move stuff if you didn't want me to move stuff."

"That's not it." He argued.

"It is." She said to him. "Trust me, you'll love it. Who knows you best?"

"I know me best." he argued.

"No I know you better than you know yourself." she reminded him.

"Right." He said to her.

"Just give it a try if you don't like it you can move it all back." She said to him.

"No. It's fine." he said to her. "Just a tad feminine."

"Well you live with a female now." She pointed out.

"You're right." he said to her. "I'll get used to it. I just haven't lived with anyone for a long time."

"You want coffee?" She asked walking into the kitchen.

"No, I want actual sleep." He said to her. "I'm just going to go to bed."

"You're coming to the dinner tonight, right?" She asked.

"Dinner?" he asked.

"My boss is throwing this big dinner party." She reminded him.

"Yea, yea I'll be there." he said running his hand over his face. "I'll sleep all day and be fully awake."

"Excellent." She cheered and he gave her quick, but wet kiss before passing by her and heading up the stairs to finally get some sleep.

AJ had just turned on the coffee pot when there was a knock at the door. She doubled checked the time to make sure this wasn't a mistake and walked over to it and opened it.

"Bradford?" She asked stunned, he seemed just as surprised.

"I'm sorry I came by so early, I didn't think you'd be here I thought Punk just got in from work." Bradford stated nervously.

"He did just get in. I live here now." She told him.

"Oh." Bradford said slowly.

"Is this important?" she asked him. "He just went up to bed-"

"Yea it is." Bradford said to her. "He didn't mention what we were working on?"

"No." She said confused. "I didn't know anything about it. I'll go get him."

"No forget it." he said rubbing his head.

"Can I help you with something?" She asked him.

"Yea you can." Bradford said glaring at her now. "Who did you tell about me?"

"What?" She asked taken back.

"Who the fuck did you tell about my boyfriend?" He demanded to know.

"I didn't tell anyone anything." She defended shaking her head.

"This is really important April." He said gripping her arms and leaning over and looking her in the eyes.

"Bradford." She whispered in shock, she could see how terrified he was. "What's going on?"

"Someone knows!" he yelled shaking her slightly.

"Knows what?" She asked.

"About me! And I didn't tip anyone off and there was only three of us who knew and maybe you're mad at me for what I did to you and I understand that but-" Bradford began to reason until he felt himself being pushed right out the door and when he looked up Punk was standing in front of him, closing the door behind him leaving them standing on the stoop.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Punk asked him.

"I got another letter-" Bradford began.

"You ever come at AJ like that again I'm not going to help you with shit." Punk threatened. "I told you she didn't say anything and she wouldn't."

"I haven't slept in days, it feels like weeks." Bradford said passing him another note. "They want me to throw out a case on Rupert Klein."

"Rupert Klein?" Punk asked reading the note.

"He's a 'captain' with the Calderon family." Bradford told him.

"So, we know who is blackmailing you." Punk said pocketing the note. "I needed to know that and I will take care of it."

"How did they find out?" Bradford asked.

"They were probably following you. If I found you out- without even trying- I'm sure someone else did. I would also speak to your boyfriend about it." Punk said to him. "Now get out of here and leave AJ out of it, you've now tipped her off and she's going to want to get involved-"

"She can't! The Calderon family-" Bradford began.

"I'll take care of AJ and the Calderon family you just stop coming around here, take a shower because you smell like shit and get some sleep because you look like a zombie." He said to him.

"Fine." Bradford said then walked down the stairs and headed to his car.

"Who is blackmailing Bradford?" AJ asked the second Punk walked in the house.

"It's nothing and I'm taking care of it. You go to work and forget he even came by." He said to her.

"Phil-" She began.

"Ape, I'm fucking wrecked. I need sleep and don't have the energy to argue. Just for today do as I ask and we'll argue about it later." He said to her and she glared at him.

"Fine." She said folding her arms. "But we will discuss it later."

"Fine!" He yelled as he again tiredly climbed the stairs.

* * *

AJ walked into the police station and into the interrogation room where a suspect was waiting for her.

"Sorry I'm late." AJ said to the man who was in awe of her. She didn't notice since she was shuffling a ton of files. "Rick Diaz?"

"No." the man replied softly.

"Juan Gonzalez?" she asked pulling out the next file.

"Robert Mendez." He told her and she looked up from her files and looked at him. "This isn't exactly how I wanted us to meet."

"Crap." She muttered.

"You look just like your pictures." Robert said to her.

"I can't defend you." AJ told her father.

"I requested you." Robert said to her.

"Did you get yourself arrested to meet me?" She asked.

"No." he smirked. "That was a misunderstanding and since I'm on parole I need the best to defend me so I don't get sent back to jail."

"Mr. Mendez-" she began.

"Don't call me that." He frowned. "At least call me Robert."

"Mr. Mendez." She began again, refusing his request. "I'm a very busy public defender and there are a lot of people here who actually need my help. You have a long wrap sheet and I'm not interested in wasting my valuable time or the courts."

"Please don't go." he pleaded. "Just hear me out! I got pulled over for a busted taillight and when the cops pulled me over. They ran my ID and made me get out of the car and started to say they smelt booze on my breath- I've never drank a day in my life! When I told them that they said I was resisting and cuffed me."

"That can't be true." AJ said shaking her head.

"It's exactly what happened. Now I'm going to go back to jail because my taillight blew out and these asshole cops have a quota!" Robert argued.

"They're not assholes." AJ warned him. "My boyfriend works in this house."

"I've met him, I'm sure he's not an asshole but these two definitely are." Robert insisted. "I'm going to go back to prison if you don't help me and I swear to you, I did nothing wrong!"

"You didn't resist them?" AJ asked.

"I swear to god." Robert said placing his hand over his heart. "Any other PD would just tell me to plead out but I know you, I've read about the work you do and your cases and you fight for what's right and I am right."

"If this was some elaborate scheme to meet me-" She began.

"Meeting you is something I wanted badly, not worth risking going back to prison." Robert said to her. "I would have just swung by your place. I'm not this stupid."

"I'll look into your case." AJ said to him in a professional voice. "But you can't ask me anything personal or expect anything. I don't want anything to do with you."

"Can I just ask how you are?" Robert frowned. "I heard about what happened a couple of weeks ago with-"

"No you can't ask that either." AJ informed him. "You're going to have a hearing with your parole officer and I'll try to get you out of here by the end of the night but I can't make any promises that they won't keep you until this is all over."

"I understand." he said to her nodding.

"Don't say anything to anyone here and don't mouth off to the cops." She warned him.

"I won't." He promised.

"Just sit there and keep your mouth shut." She warned him. "Let me do my job."

"You really did grow up so beautifully." He said and she rolled his eyes.

"One more personal remark and I'm not helping." She threatened.

"You're not made that way." He smiled. "You're like my sister. She was a lawyer too."

"Really?" AJ asked then shook her head. "I don't care. I'll be back later." She said then walked out of the office.

* * *

It was almost eight and Punk was in his suit leaning against the counter in the kitchen, afraid to sit and wrinkle his suit.

"I'm late!" AJ yelled running in the door and dropping her briefcase on the floor and running up the stairs.

"Yea and after you called me three times today to remind me not to be late!" He yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

"I had a long day!" She yelled back down from the bedroom, leaving the door open so she could hear him.

"I don't care, it's not my party." He said to her. "I just thought you wanted to impress your boss."

"I don't have to impress at a party, I impress him with my amazing job skill!" She shouted from the bedroom and he let out a small laugh.

"God, I love her." Punk said to himself and cranked his head and saw her in a cute little cocktail dress. AJ was blessed enough to not need makeup but she was applying lip gloss as she came down the stairs with shoes in her hand.

"Hi." he greeted and she gave him a sad smile and kissed him hello. "Everything ok?"

"I just had a case that I couldn't get a hearing for until 7 and it ran late." She said to him as she put on her shoes. "We'll be late but only a few minutes." She said to him.

"Big case?" he asked curiously.

"Do you know officers Romano and Diaz?" She asked him.

"No." He said to her.

"They're rookies." She told him.

"No idea. Why?" He asked.

"I think they set up my new client for brownie points." She said to him. "He has a record and the arrest was ridiculous."

"I'm sure there was something there for them to bring him in." Punk shrugged.

"He had a busted taillight." She said to him. "They didn't have to arrest him."

"There definitely had to be more to the story." He laughed. "You don't arrest someone for that."

"They accused him of resisting arrest but they gave him a hard time for no reason." She said to him.

"Ape, I know it's your job to defend the guilty but sometimes you make stuff up in your head. How can you trust a convicted criminal over two police officers?" Punk asked her.

"I just do." She said to him with a shrug. "I looked right into his eyes, he didn't lie to me."

"You look deep into the eyes of all the men you defend?" Punk asked casually and she laughed, using his shoulder to hold herself up as she put on her other heel.

"It was my dad." She said to him.

"Oh." Punk said to her. "Should you be working this?"

"Anyone else won't even try. He has a history and no one will believe him but me." She said to him.

"I don't blame you for helping him." Punk said to her. "But make sure he's being honest before you wage a war with the police officers in the station. They don't like being called liars. Especially the young ones looking to prove themselves."

"I know what I'm doing." She said to him running her hands over her dress to smooth it. "Do I look ok?"

"Beautiful." He said without hesitation. "I can't wait to get you out of the dress."

"I just got into it and it wasn't easy." She noted grabbing a light jacket to put on.

"It is tight." He agreed tilting his head to look at her ass.

"Don't do that at the party." She warned him.

"So,what am I supposed to look at?" He asked seriously.

"All of the guests." She laughed.

"I just want to look at you." He said to her and she blushed.

* * *

Punk was having a blast at AJ's work function. He swarmed by all the women. AJ couldn't stomach how all the women fawned over her attractive Detective boyfriend. She found herself sitting at their table waiting for close to fifteen minutes for her drink she asked Punk to get her from the bar as three women stopped him.

"I thought I was going to have to send a search party out for you." AJ muttered as Punk sat down next to her.

"I'm very popular here." He shrugged innocently passing her a glass of wine and he had a glass of water for himself.

"How nice." AJ remarked sipping her wine.

"Don't be jealous." He grinned.

"If I was at a party with your coworkers who were drooling all over me you wouldn't be thrilled either." AJ remarked.

"I'd be flattered." He remarked smugly and she rolled his eyes. "I'd be honored that the men I work with thought my girl was so beautiful they had to risk their lives to try to flirt with her."

"What did you think of my dad?" AJ asked out of nowhere and he looked at her.

"I didn't really speak to him for long." He admitted.

"I trust your judgment more than anyone." She told him seriously. "You are the only person in my life to tell me how it is and you've never been wrong about anyone before."

"My first feeling was that he was genuine in wanting to meet you." He told her and she just nodded. "That doesn't mean he doesn't have demons and isn't a criminal tho."

"I know. I'm going to keep it professional." She told him.

"After it's all said and done and this goes the way you want it to, then you can see how you feel." he said to her.

"I never needed a dad." She said to him. "I didn't cry at the father/daughter dance, I didn't care when career day came around and I didn't have either parent. It's just not needed, you know?"

"It's not something you ever got your hopes up for." Punk pointed out. "But it's ok that you weren't expecting this and something came of it. You'll also inherit a bunch of siblings."

"That's ok." She mumbled. "One unwanted relative at a time."

"Just prepare yourself, this might end with him back in prison." He warned her.

"I get it." AJ said to him. "I don't have my hopes up. And even if I do get him out of trouble I'm still not sure I want to pursue anything with him."

"That's your decision." He said to her.

"What's going on with Bradford?" she asked him.

"He's being blackmailed. I have a good idea who it is." Punk said to her. "I'm going to take care of it."

"How? You can't arrest anyone without outing Bradford." She pointed out.

"There are ways around things Ape." He pointed out.

"Who do you think is doing the blackmailing?" She asked.

"That's private." he said to her and she frowned. "I don't want you to get yourself involved in this mess. And I know that no matter how mad you are at Bradford your instinct is to try and help him which is the only reason I'm doing it." He told her.

"I appreciate it." She said giving him a warm smile. "But I still want to know who is blackmailing him."

"Why?" He scoffed sipping his water.

"Because not only do I feel bad but what if they have something on me?" She asked and he froze. "I mean, I was with Bradford a long time and if these pictures are from the motel that's from when I was engaged to him." She pointed out casually

Punk instantly didn't like the idea of the Calderon family knowing anything about AJ. They were a very powerful crime family and the thought of AJ even being on their radar made him nervous, but of course they'd know about her because they had to have down their homework on Bradford and his relationship wasn't a secret. He suddenly felt the urgency to investigate this quickly.

"You ok?" AJ asked.

"Yea." he said to her trying to brush it off. "I'll take care of this Bradford stuff, worry about your dad."

"Don't call him that." AJ cringed. "Let's just call him Robert."

"Fine." he shrugged sipping his drink again.

"What about you dad?" AJ asked.

"What about him?" Punk snorted.

"What if he came back?" She asked him.

"I know my dad, you know my dad." He reminded her. "He showed up a few times when I was a kid then he took off and started a new family that I wasn't included in."

"He did try." She said to him. "For a while."

"He gave up." Punk shrugged.

"Have you looked him up at all?" She asked him.

"No." He said to her. "I have no interest in him."

"You know my dad's sister was a lawyer." She told him wanting to get off the topic of his dad which she knew he didn't like.

"Really." Punk noted skeptically.

"Maybe being a lawyer is in my DNA." She said to him.

"Detective." A female public defender smiled placing her hand on his shoulder. "I was just-"

"He's with me." AJ snapped. "Back off Sharon."

"Sorry." The woman said to her and turned around.

"That was rude." He smirked at her.

"Rude? Rude would have been punching her in the face." AJ said seriously.

"You'd probably get arrested." He warned.

"I'm sleeping with a cop, I think I'd get off." She teased.

"That reach will only get you so far." he teased back.

"You'd leave me sitting in a dirty cell?" She pouted.

"Nah, I'd break you out if I had to. You're to pretty for prison." He told her seriously and she giggled.

"Want to get out of here?" She asked.

"We just got here and I have to be honest, I feel very welcomed here." he remarked and she rolled his eyes.

"My dress is so tight I feel like I'm about to bust out of it." she told him and his eyes lit up.

"That sounds amazing." he said confused. "What's the problem?"

"I want to go get a box of donuts, get out of this dress and take you to bed." She whispered against his lips as she kissed him tenderly. "I don't like all of these women throwing themselves at you."

"I guess if you want to leave here and eat junk food and have sex while watching the Hawks game then who am I to stand in your way?" he asked seriously then stood up.

"I didn't mention the Hawks." She said narrowing her eyes at him.

"We can catch the end of the game." he said grabbing her hands and pulling her to her feet.

"Fine." She agreed. "Just get me out of this dress first." She said as he helped her into her jacket.

"I'll get you out of it in the car." He told her grabbing her hand and dragging her to the exit door.

* * *

 **A/N: Is Robert being set up by the cops? Is Punk going to crack this case for Bradford? Also, thanks for the reviews!**


	15. Still Friends with Benefits?

**Still Friends with Benefits?**

* * *

"I told you they set me up." Robert said to AJ who was sitting across from him in a coffee shop. They were going over his defense and AJ was starting to lose it.

"They had no reason to do that." AJ insisted.

"Cops are dicks." Robert to her and AJ arched a challenging brow at him. "Your boyfriend not included, of course."

"I have a great respect for the police force not just my boyfriend." AJ informed him sternly.

"Of course." Robert said shaking his head. "But I really didn't do anything wrong. I don't want to go back to prison. I'm just getting to know my kids again. I even have a couple of grand kids."

"I'm going to do the best I can." AJ said writing on her notepad.

"That makes you an aunt." He said to her.

"No it doesn't." AJ smirked not even looking up from her notes. "I don't have a family."

"You had Bonnie." Robert pointed out.

"Bonnie wasn't much of a mom. Bonnie was like a fun aunt who you can only be around so much before you need a break." AJ told him as she continued to write.

"Bonnie wasn't there for you?" Robert questioned curiously.

"She made sure we had a roof over our heads but I can't speak much to her parenting skills." AJ noted.

"You seemed to have turned out fine." Robert said offering a weak smile.

"I didn't want to grow up to be like Bonnie." AJ told him bluntly. "She was a constant reminder of everything I didn't want to become."

"Ouch." Robert remarked uncomfortably.

"You weren't there." AJ reminded. "You have no idea the things I went through with her."

"She loves you." Robert noted.

"Sometimes but even that isn't enough." AJ told him.

"Bonnie provided, I saw to that." Robert said to her and AJ laughed.

"Provided? She provided for herself." AJ told him. "Bonnie always had money to hit the bars or get a new dress but I was the one wearing clothes from the goodwill." She told him. "I was the one parenting her by putting her into bed at nights after a night out and she was so gone she couldn't stand on her own two feet. I was the one making sure her boyfriends didn't steal what little we had. I was the one to make sure she'd wake up in time for work and when I was old enough to reach the stove I cooked the meals when we had food in the house. So don't you dare lecture me about how great Bonnie was when you have no idea. You were in a prison cell but maybe you were the lucky one not having to deal with her."

"I gave her money." Robert told her confused. "I made sure she had money. I had family that gave her money."

"Either she drank that money or your family lied." AJ said to him simply. "The only time I was taken care of was when Jenny upstairs took me in when she realized how hungry I was or how Bonnie forgot my birthday or didn't get me a Christmas gift. She used to take me for my haircuts and a new pair of sneakers every school year. She was the one I ran to when I had a problem with anything. When Bonnie's one boyfriend would constantly walk in on me whenever I was in the shower- accidentally he used to insist, I'd have go upstairs and shower there and it was Jenny who chased him away. If you want to thank anyone for how I turned out you can thank her."

"I didn't know." Robert said to her. "I had money put aside for you for school-"

"The day I turned 18 Bonnie packed up and left town." AJ informed him and his face dropped. "I put myself through school. Loans, financial aid and working my ass off at two part time jobs here. Not only did I have to pay for school but I had to pay to live. So if you gave Bonnie money for she took it to Vegas where she currently resides. I hope your other children had better mothers."

"April-" Robert began.

"That's enough for today." AJ announced standing up. "I'll be in touch."

She then walked out of the shop and didn't look back.

* * *

Meanwhile at the police station, Punk had been pulling up anything and everything he could on the Calderon family. He wasn't going to let this band of criminals force Bradford into letting guilty men walk. AJ had made a good point too, she was just as involved in this as Bradford and that was just enough motivation to push him to truly focus on this and only this.

"Why are you still here?" A voice asked behind him and he turned in his chair and saw AJ.

"Hi babe." he smirked. "Rough day?" he teased.

"I just want to go home." She sighed sitting on his desk and now he was officially distracted.

"I've got some stuff to do here." He said gesturing to his computer. "What happened?"

"Nothing really." She sighed dramatically and he had to smile. He knew her so well, she wanted to vent to him but he was going to have to fight for it.

"You can talk while I work." He insisted.

"Do you remember Bonnie's boyfriend?" She asked him.

"Bonnie had a lot of boyfriends." He laughed as he typed at his computer. "You're going to have to narrow it down. The guy who was an actual clown in the circus? The mall security guard? Or are you thinking about the ex-con who worked maintenance in our building?"

"The one who used to walk in on me in the shower." She said and he groaned.

"Yea I remember that one." Punk said annoyed. "Why? Did you see him or something?"

"No but I was talking to Robert who seemed to be under the delusion that Bonnie was this incredible mother." she told him.

"He thought she was incredible?" Punk asked with a laugh. "Just because you're incredible doesn't mean she was."

"You really think that?" She asked.

"I think that's pretty obvious." He smirked eyeing her.

"Apparently my dad had money aside for me that he gave to Bonnie. Do you think she could be that selfish to keep it for herself?" AJ asked and Punk glared at her. "That a yes?"

"You know Bonnie better than anybody, what do you think?" He asked.

"I'm also going to need to speak to those two rookie officers." She told him

"Speak to the captain." Punk said to her. "I'm not getting involved. I'll get enough shit from the guys if you get two rookies thrown out."

"Don't you want them thrown out if they're not following the law?" AJ asked him.

"Of course I do. There's nothing worse than a dirty cop but that doesn't change the fact that a lot of officers here cover for their own." He informed her. "It's a brotherhood."

"Shouldn't break the law." She shrugged then hopped off his desk.

"You're not going to wait for me?" He frowned.

"Nah, I'm going to take a nice hot shower and go to bed." She said leaning over and kissing him. "You can make it up to me on Tuesday."

"Tuesday?" He asked and she laughed.

"I'm going to pretend you're being funny and didn't really forget what Tuesday is." She smirked. "Don't work too late." She instructed and left.

"What is-" Punk began looking at Cody.

"Valentines day." Cody answered without letting Punk finish or even looking up from his desk.

"Fuck." Punk spat.

"You really forget?" Cody asked finally looking up.

"Yes. I'll just make reservations somewhere." Punk said simply going back to the task on his computer.

"You think you can make reservations anywhere in the City this close to Valentines day? Even McDonalds is all booked up." Cody warned him.

"That's ridiculous." Punk laughed but Cody glared at him. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. I had to make reservations for Angelo's like two weeks ago and I just barely got a table. I had to drop Maria's name to get a reservation actually." Cody told him.

"Ape isn't into fancy restaurants or anything tho." Punk said thinking about it.

"Every chick wants something on valentines day." Cody insisted. "And the fact that she bought it up to you proved it."

"I've never done Valentines before." Punk admitted.

"Seriously?" Cody mocked.

"Maybe a couple of times when I was younger, probably still in the academy. I gave flowers and slept with them." Punk shrugged.

"You're going to have to do better than that if you want to keep AJ." Cody told him and Punk rolled his eyes.

"Remember last year? Bradford took AJ to that rooftop restaurant and he had the orchestra play music and-" Cody rambled.

"I can't afford Bradford's lifestyle. Ape knows that." Punk said trying to not let it bother him.

"You can try." Cody said to him.

"I don't know what to do." Punk said now losing concentration in his work. "I can buy her something but I don't think anything I buy her will match the price of what Bradford had given her over the years."

"It's not about money." Cody said to him and Punk glared at him.

"Then why the fuck did you bring up money in the first place?" Punk snapped. "I can't be like Bradford."

"That's probably why AJ is with you." Cody teased. "Just think of something fun and romantic. You probably won't even be able to order her flowers though because that's probably all filled-"

"I get it." Punk snapped annoyed.

"Do you?" Cody questioned. "I mean I know you two are friends but don't you want to be more than that?"

"We obviously are." Punk remarked smugly.

"You were sleeping with her while you were friends." Cody scoffed. "Valentines day will set the tone for the rest of your relationship. AJ will decide if this relationship is going somewhere or you two are just friends who have sex."

"Wow." Punk whistled. "Someone has been reading Maria's cosmos."

"I have." Cody admitted with a frown.

"We live together." Punk reminded him.

"So? You two practically grew up in the same house." Cody said to him. "Do you want to be her friend or boyfriend?"

"Both." Punk answered. "What's wrong with both?"

"Nothing. But you have the friendship part down, now you have to advance so she knows there's a chance of marriage and kids in the future." Cody told him. "Has she ever bought that up?"

"No." Punk remarked thinking about it.

"Maria talks about it constantly." Cody informed him. "It's a girl thing."

"AJ isn't your average girl." Punk grinned.

"Or maybe she doesn't see that kind of future with you." Cody shrugged and Punk again glared at him.

"I'm sure she does." Punk remarked coldly standing up.

"Where are you going?" Cody asked.

"To go talk to Ape." He groaned. "I had a lot of shit to do here too. You had to put this shit in my head?"

"Need help?" Cody offered.

"No." Punk said turning his computer off. "Just don't talk to me anymore." he snapped then walked out of the station.

* * *

AJ was just out of the shower when she heard the front door slam shut and froze slightly. She knew she locked the door downstairs. She quickly grabbed her clothes and put them on as she locked herself in the bathroom. She could hear footsteps on the stairs and the bedroom door opened. She grabbed a vase from inside the bathroom and readied herself to strike.

"Ape!" Punk yelled out looking around the empty room.

"You bastard!" AJ yelled swinging the bathroom door open and slapping his arms as hard as she could, which didn't faze Punk. He was amused. "You said you were working late! You scared me!"

"Oh." Punk said with a smirk. "Sorry." he said then pushed the bathroom door open slightly.

"What are you looking for?" She asked catching her breath and sitting on the bed with her hair brush.

"You weren't expecting me so I'm just making sure you showered alone." He shrugged and she glared at him.

"Why are you home so early?" she asked as her heart went back to a normal beat.

"I have to talk to you." He said sitting next to her.

"Ok." She said slightly concerned. "Is this about Bradford?"

"No." He said a little more annoyed than he intended. "It's about us."

"Alright." She said sitting cross legged giving him her full attention.

"Well?" He asked and she tried not to laugh.

"Well, what?" She asked gleefully.

"What are we?" he asked her and she rolled her eyes and attempted to get off the bed but he stopped her. "What does that mean?"

"What do you think we are, Phil?" She asked. "We live together for crying out loud! We're not with other people, we sleep next to each other every night-"

"I know how I feel about you." He said to her. "But do you think we're just friends with benefits still?"

"Is this because I asked about valentines day? I knew you forgot." She said to him. "Why would I think we're just friends who are fooling around?"

"Cody-" Punk began. "He thinks we're just friends."

"We are friends and that's the most important thing about us." She said to him. "It's also why we work so well. We know everything about each other and we trust each other."

"I can't do the stuff Bradford used to do." Punk warned her and her face dropped.

"Well, I sure as hell hope not." She said sternly and he rolled his now.

"Not that stuff." he said to her. "I'm talking about the over the top dates and expensive gifts."

"I don't want anything over the top." She told him. "I want you to remember Valentines day so you can have the night off and I have an excuse to wear my new lingerie."

"You don't need an excuse to wear anything." He assured her. "I just want you to know that I can't offer you as much as Bradford was able to."

"I've known you my whole life." She reminded him. "And in the few months we've been officially dating you've offered me more than Bradford ever has. It's not about things, I can buy my own things. You offer me safety and security and laughter and comfort." she informed him sweetly.

"Yea?" He asked suspiciously arching a brow and she let out a laugh and grabbed his face and kissed him. "I love you." she whispered. "That's all I need from you."

"I think that goes without saying." He said to her and she frowned. "But I'll say it to make you smile. I love you, you know that already."

"How much?" She asked cutely and he let out a small laugh.

"More than anything." He assured her.

"More than a friend?" she asked.

"More than a friend." he confirmed.

"We don't need to prove anything to Cody or anybody. We know what we mean to each other and I'm surprised you let him get to you." She said to him.

"I just wanted to make sure that you knew how I felt. I may have forgotten to book a nice place to eat for valentines day but I didn't want you to think that was because I don't take us seriously." He said to her.

"You don't have to book anything special." She said to him. "I'm going to cook."

"Really?" he asked and he could feel his mouth begin to salivate. He loved her cooking, she had been cooking from a young age but as she got older she got too busy.

"Yes." She said to him wrapping her arms loosely around his neck. "I'm going to cook you a romantic pasta dinner with my famous sauce."

"That sounds better than anything we would eat out." He said nodding. "You'll make that garlic bread too?"

"Yes." She said kissing the corner of his mouth. "But the meal isn't even the best part- it's the lingerie I'll be wearing in the kitchen while cooking it."

"God damn." He practically whistled.

"Valentines isn't just about me." She said to him. "I mean you can bring me chocolate or something."

"I'll do better than that." He promised kissing her...

* * *

It was a stormy night and AJ's eyes shot open at the sound of the loud thunder booming. Punk could sleep during anything but AJ was always a light and cautious sleeper. She could tell the power was out by the fact their alarm was off. She heard another noise again and knew it wasn't from the storm. She was laying on her side with Punk's arms wrapped around her, holding her close and she wiggled free.

"Phil." She whispered then shook him.

"What?" he groaned, rolling onto his back and running his hand over his face.

"Someone is in the house." She hissed and he grunted.

"Again?" he mocked.

This wasn't the first time AJ had heard someone in the house. This was the first two level home AJ had ever lived in and she swore she heard something almost every night since living here.

"Phil there's really someone down there." She almost cried shaking him more awake.

"Fuck, Ape." He groaned sitting up and throwing the comforter off of himself and grabbed his sweat pants and slid them on.

"Do you need your gun?" She asked in a whisper.

"No, I think I'll be fine." He mocked and just casually walked down the hall to the steps. He would just go grab a drink of water and then report back to AJ everything was fine.

When he made it down the stairs, there was someone downstairs, something sharp hit him from behind sending him to the floor. He wasn't fully knocked out but he was out of it, he sat up on his hands and knees and shook his head but he got with something else that knocked him out completely.

* * *

When Punk woke up he was bound and gagged on the floor laying on his side. He looked up and saw a man standing over him and he recognized him. Calderon's right hand man Justin. He smiled at Punk who was gritting his teeth and seething.

"Relax Detective." Justin said to him. "This is a friendly visit, sorry about the head." he said to him kneeling before him. "We have a mutual friend."

Punk mumbled something and Justin ripped the tape off of his mouth.

"You just made a huge mistake." Punk hissed.

"You made the mistake when you started poking your nose into something that had nothing to do with you." Justin corrected. "I have a private relationship with the DA, one that didn't need your input."

"Fuck you." Punk spat coldly. "You think I'm going to let you blackmail our District Attorney? You think I'm going to turn a blind eye as Bradford let's guilty people walk? No fucking way."

"I think you will." Justin said to him as he stood up and walked to the side of Punk slightly and he could AJ sitting on the couch in-between two big men. He had forgotten she was even here. "I purposely left her out of this. Mostly because I don't have any problems with the public defender. I mean, she minds her own business, she's brilliant and I think she's been tortured enough upon discovering her fiance in a motel room with another man."

"You're right." Punk said calmly looking up at Justin to the best of his ability. "Let her go back upstairs."

"No." Justin said simply. "I've looked into you and you really are a man of honor. I didn't think I could just tell you to leave this alone, I needed to motivate you." he said then pointed at AJ. "Tell me Detective Brooks, did you rat out Bradford because you had a hard on for his girl?"

"She has nothing to do with Bradford anymore." Punk told Justin. "She doesn't work in his office, she doesn't even talk to him, you and I can talk about this."

"I'd rather talk to her." He said looking back at AJ. "Beautiful girl."

"Phil-" AJ started but one of the men next to her placed his hand over her mouth.

"If you hurt her I won't arrest you, I'll just fucking kill you." Punk threatened.

"I have no intentions of hurting Ms. Mendez." Justin remarked stunned. "She's just an innocent woman. It will be you dragging her into this if you don't stop digging into me. And after I walk out of here tonight you can call your cop buddies and have me arrested but even though I'll be behind bars, there will always be someone else to protect the family. Someone who might not be as nice as me. Someone who doesn't really like cops that much but likes pretty petite women too much if you know what I mean." he winked at Punk who was turning red from rage. "You dragged her into this."

"I didn't. And I suggest your man takes his hand off of her or-" Punk began.

"We're working on being friends here so, ok." Justin gestured for the man to remove his hand off of AJ's mouth. "This doesn't have to do with you and if you forget helping the DA we'll forget that your girlfriend sleeps in red panties."

"You son of a bitch-" Punk began but Justin kicked him in the gut and AJ gasped.

"He'll do what you say!" AJ yelled. "Just don't hurt him."

"I figured you were the smart one out of the bunch." Justin said looking at AJ. "You're a sharp attorney we'll take you on retainer." he offered.

"Get out of here." Punk warned and Justin looked down at him again.

"You're in no position to make demands." Justin said to him. "Anyway, remember all of this or I'll be back to remind you." he said waving the men sitting next to AJ to stand up and once they did AJ ran right to Punk but Justin grabbed her around the waist and put a knife to her throat. "I will gut her like a fucking fish. I'll make you watch while I do it. You will never get her screams out of your head." He threatened Punk and for the first time in his life, Punk felt terrified and helpless. "This isn't a game Detective, I'll kill her, I'll kill you, I'll kill your mom- I'll go down the whole line. Your life, hers- means nothing to me. I won't lose a wink of sleep."

"Let her go." Punk forced out keeping his eyes on AJ's strong ones.

"Do we have an understanding?" Justin asking pressing the knife just a tad harder to her throat and even though it was dark, lightening lit up the room and he saw a trickle of blood escape her neck.

"Yes!" Punk yelled. "Fucking stop!"

"Excellent." Justin grinned releasing AJ who fell to her knees and crawled over to Punk to check on him. "It was lovely meeting you both, let's hope the next time we see each other it's more pleasant." he said then nodded at them and followed his men out of the townhouse.

"Phil." AJ sighed trying to rip the strong zip ties around his wrist but she was no match for it.

"Cut it!" He yelled and AJ ran into the kitchen and struggled to find anything since it was so dark, she found a knife in the carving board set and ran back to him and it took a few seconds for her to free his hands that were bound behind his back.

AJ went to cut his ankles free but he grabbed her by the arm and cupped her face and tilted her neck to check it.

"Are you ok?" he asked as he struggled to see anything. "Are you bleeding?"

"No. Just a little nick." she said as he ran his hot hand over her throat gently.

"What about when I was out?" He asked her. "What did they do?"

"Nothing." She said shaking her head. "I got dressed and came down to check on you. They made me sit on the couch-" She began and he grabbed her and held her against his chest. She could feel his heart pounding.

"You're really ok?" he asked in a shaky voice and it was the first time AJ had ever seen him scared in her entire life.

"Yes." She assured him quietly. "Perfectly fine. Not a scratch. Let me cut your feet."

"I got it." he said taking the knife from her and doing it himself.

"Do you want me to call Cody for you? Or the station?" She offered.

"No." he said standing up then helped her to her feet.

"We're just going to go down there?" She asked.

"We're not going to do anything." Punk told her sternly. "You're a risk I'm not willing to take." he informed her then walked over to the door and locked it again.

"Phil we have to tell someone they broke into our home." She argued.

"What did I just say?" he asked her coldly. "Do you trust me?"

"You know I do." she stated confused. "But-"

"But nothing." He said to her. "I'll figure this out later, for now we're going to do exactly like he said. Just let me worry about this. Don't tell anyone Ape, can you do that for me? Can you keep this secret for me?"

"I'd do anything for you." She almost painfully admitted. She knew not telling anyone was wrong but she knew more than her oath to the City, her oath to Punk was much stronger.

"Thank you." he said relieved and kissed her forehead tenderly.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Punk is going to a surprising person for help & AJ continues to bond with her father...stay tuned & review ;)**


	16. Be My Valentine

**Be My Valentine**

* * *

Punk was banging on Bradford's door. The storm was still going strong and he was drenched from the rain, as was AJ but she was bundled under not only her jacket, but he gave her his to keep her extra warm.

"Punk?" Bradford asked tiredly and Punk pushed the door open and pushed AJ inside before him. "AJ? What's going on?"

"Ape, go dry off or something." Punk said scratching the back of his head anxiously and she just rolled her eyes and wandered off to the bathroom.

"What's going on?" Bradford asked. "Is everything ok?"

"No everything isn't ok." Punk told him. "You need to come out and erase this leverage they have over your head."

"No." Bradford said shaking his head.

"Justin Buccio broke into my home tonight." Punk told him coldly.

"What?" Bradford asked surprised. "Arrest him!"

"Now he's holding something over my head." Punk whispered as he heard the bathroom door open again and AJ walked out. "Or should I say someone." He said nodding in AJ's direction but keeping his eyes on Bradford.

"Christ." Bradford muttered running his hand over his face.

"They jabbed a knife into her throat." Punk told him and Bradford looked at AJ.

"Are you alright?" He asked as the guilt and fear consumed him.

"Yes." AJ said to him.

"They said if I didn't stop looking into them they would kill her and I believe them." Punk told him.

"So stop looking into it." Bradford said to him. "I never meant to put you in this situation and I never would EVER put April in that kind of position either."

"Well, you did." Punk snapped. "Now she has a fucking target on her back and I'm not digging further into them knowing she's going to be hurt."

"Of course not." Bradford agreed.

"I think you both should just come clean." AJ suggested to them as she walked over and in-between them.

"No." Punk and Bradford said at the same time.

"Get out of town for a few days." Bradford suggested. "I'll take care of this myself but make sure you two are gone, I don't want you two anymore involved in this."

"No." AJ said to him. "What are you going to do? Why can't you just be honest?"

"There's a lot of reasons I can't be honest April." Bradford said to her. "If it was that easy I would have been honest with you."

"I hope this isn't about your parents." AJ sighed.

"It's about a lot April." Bradford said to her.

"Hey!" Punk yelled snapping his fingers in Bradford's face. "Now it's about AJ." He reminded him. "And the shit load of trouble you pulled her into!"

"It's not his fault." AJ said to Punk.

"It is his fucking fault." Punk mocked. "Did she mean nothing to you?"

"Of course she meant something- she still does." Bradford said as he began to feel tormented.

"Is your secret worth her life?" Punk asked him but he didn't say a thing. "You fucking asshole." He spat. "I'm not going to let you get her killed. I'll leak it to the press."

"No!" Bradford pleaded.

"He won't do that." AJ said to Bradford than looked at Punk. "Tell him, Phil."

"Don't ever underestimate the lengths I will go to in order to keep her safe." Punk warned Bradford.

"Give me a day." Bradford insisted. "Just one day to figure this out."

"One fucking day." Punk warned holding up his finger. "Or I'm going to call my buddy at the paper. I've got all the ransom they had on you too."

"In the meantime April should leave town for a bit." Bradford said to him and Punk nodded.

"I'm not leaving." AJ laughed. "I have open cases. My dad's case-"

"Your dad?" Bradford asked confused. "What's your dad in for?"

"It's actually-" She began.

"This isn't about work." Punk told Bradford and then looked at AJ. "And this isn't up for discussion."

"I'm not going." AJ shrugged simply. "And if you bring it up to me one more time I'll sleep in a hotel or go back to Maria's until this blows over."

"No." Punk said to her.

"Stop bossing me around." AJ demanded. "I get you're scared but-"

"I'm not scared." he scoffed defensively.

"You are." AJ said to him. "I have never seen you look so scared in your entire life. I thought you were going to cry."

"I don't cry either." He said forcing out a nervous laugh and Bradford eyed him. "I don't." Punk snapped at Bradford.

"He cried when his pet turtle died." AJ told Bradford and Punk's eyes widened in shock.

"Ape!" Punk scolded. "I was a kid." He defended to Bradford.

"It was so sad." AJ said to Bradford. "Cried so much and he only had it for like a month. He stepped on him by accident-"

"Really?" Punk asked AJ stunned.

"We buried it in the park." AJ told Bradford who tried not to laugh.

"I was like 5." Punk defended.

"No, because AJ is five years younger than you." Bradford corrected.

"He was 14." AJ told him and Punk shook his head in disbelief. "Cried when the Blackhawks won the cup too."

"Jesus Ape." he groaned.

"Bradford cried all of the time too." AJ said to Punk and now Bradford's face dropped. "He cried when we saw Rent, he cried when the cleaners ruined his 'lucky' suit, he cried when-"

"We get it April." Bradford said cutting her off. "I'm an emotional man." he defended stiffly. "Nothing wrong with that."

"Not at all." AJ agreed and Punk snickered.

"You can stay here for a few days." Bradford told her and Punk let out a laugh. "What?"

"She's not staying here with you." Punk remarked still laughing. "You think I'm ok with my girlfriend staying with her ex-fiance?"

"I really don't think you have anything to worry about." Bradford said to him.

"Did you ever sex with her?" Punk asked.

"Yes." Bradford said to him.

"Then she's not staying here." Punk shrugged simply. "I know where she can stay."

"Home." AJ announced walking to the door. "Home or Maria's, the choice is yours." she said looking at Punk.

"Fucking great." Punk said glaring at Bradford. "A few days." he reminded the DA pointing at him as he walked to the door.

* * *

A few days later Punk arrived at the Roulette, which was a club and hotel right outside of Chicago. There was underground gambling that went on and a few other illegal activities. He walked and a few of the security guards eyed him but it wasn't out of fear of the local cop it was out of surprise. He knew the layout of the place and headed into the elevator and pressed for the Pent House. Two guards were waiting at the elevator but when they recognized Punk they stepped aside and let him enter the office.

"I told you I didn't-" the man began but stopped when he looked up and saw Punk. He was on his cellphone but didn't take his eyes off of Punk. "I have to call you back." he said then hung up. "Phillip."

"Mike." Punk greeted.

"I'm still your father." Mike reminded him.

"No, not really." Punk remarked.

"What can I do for you Phillip?" Mike questioned.

"You're the only one I can speak to without it raising any red flags." Punk admitted coolly.

"Is this official business or personal?" Mike asked sitting down behind his desk. "I'll help with either. You know I run a clean business."

"You don't." Punk remarked. "And it was business but it became personal. So personal that I wouldn't be here today if I didn't have something very important on the line."

"What's going on, Phillip?" Mike asked as concern laced his voice.

"The Calderon family." Punk told him and Mike nodded.

"They frequent here." Mike nodded. "I don't usually socialize with the clients."

"The clients you know who are dirty." Punk remarked.

"Why are you looking into them?" Mike asked him.

"I don't trust you enough to tell you that." Punk said to him.

"I'm your father." Mike again reminded him.

"I need to get in here. I need to get undercover cops in here." Punk told him and Mike shook his head.

"They don't do anything illegal." Mike told him. "I have my people watching them."

"James Buccio is here every Friday-Sunday. I'm sure he's not just hanging around slapping the waitresses asses." Punk scoffed.

"Why?" Mike asked him. "What are they into? You want me to trust you? I need you to trust me."

"He threatened my girlfriend." Punk told him and Mike rolled his eyes.

"It's Chicago." Mike reminded his son. "Men say and do things that aren't right to women but that's no reason to get yourself killed. I'm sure your girlfriend-"

"It's AJ." Punk told him and Mike stopped talking.

"Little April Mendez from downstairs?" Mike asked and Punk nodded. "I didn't realize you two were together. Last I had heard she was marrying the District Attorney."

"Things change." Punk replied stiffly. "He didn't just say something her. He broke into our home and pulled her out of our bed and put a knife to her throat. If he gets wind that I'm talking about this with anyone-"

"I won't say a damn thing." Mike assured him. "I won't even let him back in here. Family before business."

"Right." Punk laughed.

"I've reached out to you." Mike reminded him. "When I left Jennifer I reached out to you more times than I could count."

"You wanted a new life." Punk shrugged.

"I wanted you to be apart of it." Mike said to him. "But you felt if you spent anytime with me it would betray your mother."

"That's partly true." Punk agreed. "I also knew the business you were getting into wasn't legal."

"When I first started working here it wasn't but it was great money for you and your mother." Mike admitted.

"Then you fell in love with the bosses daughter and when he died you got the whole business, convenient." Punk remarked.

"I turned this business around." Mike informed him. "I didn't want to risk jail. I have children. Children including you."

"I wouldn't have known the difference." Punk shrugged.

"Is that why you became a cop? You thought one day you'd get to arrest me? Because I hate to disappoint you but this is all very legal." Mike told him honestly.

"I don't know, maybe." Punk told him truthfully.

"To prove it, you and whatever law enforcement can come in here and watch Mr. Buccio." Mike told him.

"That's for AJ's protections." Punk told him and he nodded.

"How is April?" Mike asked.

"She's good." Punk said simply.

"Your mom?" Mike asked.

"Even better." Punk said to him.

"You know you have siblings." Mike pointed out.

"I'm aware." Punk said to him. "A sister and a brother."

"They'd like to get to know you." Mike told him. "They know all about you."

"Why?" Punk questioned.

"You're not a deep dark secret Phillip." Mike chuckled. "There's pictures of you at the house, we've seen you on TV during big cases. Mikey- your brother- wants to be a cop just like you."

"I can't get into this right now." Punk said to him.

"Yes it's getting late and it is Valentines day." Mike noted. "Big plans?"

"AJ has something planned." Punk admitted with a faint smile, he was looking forward to his evening in with her more than he wanted to admit.

"As you got older, your mom would tell me she thought you'd end up with her." Mike smirked. "Smart girl, didn't have it easy with Bonnie."

"No she didn't." Punk agreed.

"I saw her at a benefit a few years back with Bradford, she didn't recognize me so I didn't bother her. She's very beautiful." Mike said to him. "Maybe you two could have dinner here one night."

"I doubt that's going to ever happen." Punk laughed.

"Or dinner at home with me and Rebecca." Mike offered. "A peace offering? Anything?"

"I don't know about that either." Punk said to him.

"You're getting older and you're going to settle down and start having children and I want to be there. It won't be like your graduation from High School or the Academy where Jenny sneaks me in and I have to hide in the back, I won't be able to sneak in on your kids." Mike laughed.

"Settle down?" Punk asked. "You're about ten years ahead of me."

"You sound like me when I met your mom." Mike said to him. "But we fell in love quickly."

"And look how that worked out." Punk pointed out.

"Your mom wasn't happy, I wasn't happy and we were 18 right out of high school." Mike noted. "Not being financially stable is what hurt us the most. I still love her, I still talk to her."

"No you don't." Punk scoffed.

"She told me she was in town for Rita's wedding." Mike told him. "It was a few months back and we had coffee. She did tell me you were seeing someone but not that it was April, she didn't want to jinx it. She was also very superstitious."

"She never mentioned that." Punk said to him.

"I asked her not to. I still enjoy seeing Jennifer when I can to catch up and I thought if you knew you'd make her stop." Mike told him.

"I don't think anyone could make mom do anything she doesn't want to do." Punk told him and Mike laughed.

"That is true." Mike nodded in agreement. "But when it comes to you, she'd fold every time."

"I really have to get going. I'll be in touch about getting someone in here." Punk said to him.

"Be careful." Mike warned him. "These are dangerous men."

"I'm going to be fine." he remarked then walked out of his office.

* * *

Punk walked in the front door of the townhouse and it smelt amazing. His face lit up when he locked the door behind himself and saw AJ in the kitchen in a tiny robe just closing the oven door.

"You're early." She noted.

"I wanted to watch you cook." He said passing her a bouquet of white roses.

"White Roses?" She asked with a grin.

"I know they're your favorite." He shrugged and she reached up and kissed him as she accepted the flowers.

With one hand behind his neck, to deepen the kiss and the other one holding the flowers Punk was able to untie her robe and reveal what he had been looking forward to most.

"That's dessert." She warned pulling away and trying the robe back up and walking back into the kitchen and he followed her.

As AJ reached both arms up over her head for a vase she felt Punk come up behind him and untie her robe again and she blushed.

"Phil." She warned.

"You said you'd cook in it." he reminded her kissing behind her ear. "Remember?"

"Vaguely." She said as he pulled the robe off of her completely.

"How long until dinner?" He asked as he was now kissing her neck from behind now.

"About an hour." She told him and he groaned.

"Can't wait that long." He said to her simply as his hands moved up her torso and cupped her breasts roughly.

"You're going to have to." she tried to warn but she was already moaning.

"Says who?" he asked teasingly as he lowered the flame of the pot on the stove and tugged her away backwards. "This is our valentines day. We make the rules."

"I make the rules." She reminded him turning around to face him and pushed him onto the couch and grinned as she moved to straddle his lap.

"Ape." he groaned as she thrust over him and he again cupped her breasts but this time released one cup and placed his mouth over her breast.

"Just like that." She moaned as she cradled his face against her breast and continued to sway her hips over his growing erection...

Almost an hour later they were in their same positions but Punk had lost his clothes and her cute little red teddy was pulled and played with. He was buried as deep as he could be inside of her. Her hair was a mess, her lips were swollen, he had her red lipstick all over his lips and both were unable to keep their eyes open.

"Best valentines ever." AJ whispered into his neck and placed a soft kiss over his pulse.

"Good." he said rubbing her back soothingly with one hand and that's when the fire alarm went off.

"Oh crap!" she yelled jumping off of him. "The sauce is burning! And the garlic bread in the oven is toast!" she cried out as Punk tried to turn off the fire alarm.

"There goes your special dinner." She pouted looking at the mess as she took it out of the oven.

"It's the though that counts." He smirked coming up behind her.

"But I was hungry." She pouted.

"We can order a pizza, eat it in bed and watch the Hawks game." He suggested and she side-eyed him.

"Oh! I got you something!" she cheered running into the living room and grabbing a card.

"You got me a valentine?" he teased.

"Shut up and open it." She giggled.

"Tickets to a Hawks game." He nodded then saw where the seats were. "Ape these are front row."

"I know." she grinned. "It's for next week and I know you're working but Cody swapped your shifts and I cleared my schedule."

"This is amazing." He said to her. "You really went above and beyond for this holiday you claimed didn't mean that much."

"I wanted you to have a special day. I know you're under a lot of pressure." She said to him. "I love my flowers."

"I obviously have something up my sleeve too." He remarked.

"Yea?" She asked.

"Yea." He defended. "Go get dressed."

"How dressed?" She asked.

"Where that red dress." He suggested.

"The little red cocktail dress?" She asked and he nodded. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise." he said to her.

"I knew you had something special planned." She grinned reaching up to kiss him then skipping up the stairs.

"Fuck." Punk muttered to himself and pulled out his cellphone.

* * *

"Is this what I think it is?" AJ asked as Punk held onto her hand as they approached a building.

"It is." He smirked opening the door for her and she could hear all the dogs barking. "I remember for your 18th birthday you were really down in the dumps because Bonnie didn't do anything to celebrate so I told you I'd take you anywhere you wanted and this is where you picked." he said gesturing to the animal shelter.

"I can't believe you remembered that." She smiled turning to look at him. "Why did I dress up for this?"

"I figured we'd walk to random restaurants after and someone will take pity on us." He teased.

"Detective." An older man greeted shaking his hand.

"Thanks for letting us come by." Punk smiled shaking his hand back.

"I'm so glad you two offered to come down and hang out with some of the dogs, they get lonely too." He noted.

"Anytime!" AJ said excitedly as the man shook her hand as well.

"Such a pretty girl you have here Detective." The man noted.

"She's alright." Punk teased and AJ slapped his stomach gently.

"I'm ready to play with all of the dogs." AJ announced.

"Follow me." He smirked.

Punk and AJ were stuck on the first dog they played with. They requested to see the dogs who didn't get taken out as much and this one was odd. He looked almost like a wolf and was loud and nippy but he was sweet. AJ was actually taken back by how much Punk was enjoying the animal.

"How come people don't like to play with him?" AJ asked looking up at the owner Sam.

"He's not exactly the picture perfect puppy people want." The man teased. "He's also a bit of a dick, pardon my french."

"That's his best quality!" AJ argued.

"How long has he been here?" Punk asked Sam.

"About a year." He told them and AJ stuck out her bottom lip to Punk.

"We both work all day Ape." Punk reminded her.

"I can come home during lunch to walk him." AJ pointed out. "And at least he wouldn't be alone in a cage every single night."

"We're here to play." Punk reminded her standing up.

"And you can come back whenever, he doesn't get a lot of visitors. He usually bites them- seems like you two." Sam noted and Punk glared at him.

"He wants us." AJ said to Punk. "Look at this face." She said standing up with the dog and holding it across from Punk.

"No." Punk said simply and the dog licked his lips.

"I've always wanted a dog." AJ reminded him. "I thought when I moved in with Bradford we could get one but he's allergic."

"It's not fair to the dog." Punk reminded AJ as she went to sit on the floor with the dog again. "We're not around enough."

"It's better than being in a cage." She muttered under her breath.

"Thanks for letting us come by." Punk said to him.

"Oh come on, my favorite cop. I remember when you were a rookie you used to bring me all the strays you'd find." Sam chuckled.

"There's not many no kill shelters." Punk noted.

"Not enough of them, that's for sure." Sam agreed and looked over to AJ. "She likes him."

"Yea I know." Punk said looking over his shoulder at AJ and had to smile at how much AJ was having with the dog. "We don't have time for a puppy though."

"He's not a puppy." Sam scoffed. "He's two years old already. Protective, fun, odd."

"Sounds like me." Punk teased.

"I think we should go." AJ announced standing up. "I won't be able to leave if I spend anymore time with him."

"Are you sure? We can see other dogs." He offered.

"Nope." She said simply and walked out of the private room.

"Thank you for everything." Punk said shaking Sam's hand.

"Anytime Detective." he smiled.

"And thank you for making sure I sleep on the couch tonight." He said kneeling down and petting the wolf like dog goodbye.

"It's alright. He's a little weirdo." Sam smirked swooping up the dog in his arms.

"If we were home more often, I'd take him." Punk told him.

"It's alright." Sam assured him. "Come back anytime."

"Will do." Punk said then walked out of the room to find AJ.

* * *

They ended up at a packed diner for dinner, and even though she was overdressed she didn't care. Minus not getting the dog she wanted she had a great valentines. It was simple and fun and that's all she wanted. And after dinner her and Punk went a few more rounds to officially exhaust her for the evening. She was glad she had no cases today. She wasn't sure where Punk went but she rolled onto his side of the bed and shut her eyes tightly wanting a few more minutes of sleep but a plopping on the bed woke her up.

"Phil?" She asked sticking her head up and and immediately felt a tongue lick over her lips. "Mr. B?" she asked seeing the dog she had fallen in love with last night.

"He's not a puppy." Punk said walking into the bedroom. "And we can make it work."

"Are you sure?" she asked as her eyes filled with tears.

"Yes." He said to her. "Happy Valentines day baby." he smirked leaning over and kissing her. "I get to name him though."

"Oh, I kind of liked Mr. B." She said petting the dog.

"No chance." He said to her.

"This really was the best valentines day ever." She said to him. "Even though it's not Valentines anymore."

"Let's call in sick today and extend the celebration. We're going to have to get him a bunch of crap anyway." he said eyeing the dog and pulling out a piece of paper. "Sam wrote it all down."

"I've never called out." AJ said to him then smiled. "So I'm overdue for some personal time."

"Good." he said to her.

"We're a little family." AJ grinned playing with the dog.

"We've always been family, we're just adding to it." Punk pointed out.

"He's going to fit in perfectly here." AJ said kissing the dog.


	17. Unwanted

**A/N: I'm back! And finally updating this one. I've re-read it a 100 times trying to think of a way to continue it. Bare with me, updates won't be 4 times a day but I'll do the best I can. Thank you all for patience!**

* * *

 **Unwanted**

* * *

"You did the right thing." Punk told Bradford as he sat in an empty office with him at the police station.

"My parents won't take my calls." Bradford told him and Punk rolled his eyes. "But I feel oddly liberated."

Just a half an hour ago, Bradford held a press conference to confirm his sexuality. Punk convinced him to erase the leverage James Buccio and the rest of the Calderon had on Bradford.

"If April could just release her own statement-" Bradford began.

"No." Punk said cutting him off. "I don't want AJ's name even mentioned. I want them to forget about her." he warned him. "You got her into enough shit PLUS treated her like shit-"

"I did a lot of terrible things in my relationship with her but I never treated her like shit." Bradford defended.

"Asking her to marry you so she could be your beard wasn't shitty at all." Punk mocked.

"Our personal differences aside, I appreciate you helping me with this." Bradford said getting off the AJ subject.

"Despite the fact that you were awful with Ape, you're a good DA." Punk shrugged. "I try not to let personal feelings interfere with my professional job."

"That's a great motto to have." Bradford agreed and Punk glared at him.

"I told you she's happy being a public defender." Punk said knowing Bradford wanted AJ back working in his office.

Sure the idea of AJ working with her ex rubbed Punk the wrong way sometimes but he trusted her and knew Bradford wasn't a threat. He would even prefer her there over defending disgusting criminals but she was enjoying her work. Defending people who were innocent who can't afford the legal counsel.

"She's wasting her talent." Bradford told him and Punk laughed.

"Her talent is being brilliant and defending what is right. She's doing that in PD's office." Punk told him.

"She'd be making double working back here as one of my ADA's." Bradford pointed out.

"Ape doesn't care about the money, you know this." Punk remarked.

"Stubborn." Bradford nodded.

"Besides, it's best you two keep your distance for a while." Punk told him.

"It would look like there's no ill will between us if she'd come back to work for me." Bradford pointed out.

"But there is. And it's not about you being gay its about you cheating on her." Punk scoffed. "I still have eyes on the main Calderon family members. If you hear anything from them, let me know."

"That's it?" Bradford asked.

"What more do you want? The leverage is gone and they're going to have no choice but to move on." Punk told him. "They know if anything happens to you we'll be coming for them."

"That's not very soothing." Bradford said.

"I'll have a patrol unit with you for the next few days." Punk reasoned and Bradford nodded. "But it's done now, you can move on."

"My parents still won't talk to me." Bradford told him. "I can't just move on."

"Your parents aren't parents than." Punk said simply. "Look at Ape." he pointed out. "Her mother never supported her with anything. AJ worked her ass off to get through law school and she did it all without Bonnie who the second AJ turned 18 suggested she become a stripper because she'd make good money and not waste her time in school. She didn't need her parents and you don't need yours."

"I suppose that's true." Bradford had to agree. "Did Bonnie really say that?"

"Bonnie has said a lot of shit to AJ over the years." Punk said to him. "She used it as motivation not an excuse to feel bad for herself."

* * *

Across town AJ was running late. She was set to meet Punk for dinner and she had been so busy working her fathers case that she had barely seen Punk the last few days. She was a bit surprised to see police lights in her rear view window because even though she was in a rush she knew she wasn't speeding and she didn't go through any lights or stop signs. She pulled over on the quiet one way street and rolled her window down.

"Hi." AJ greeted with a smile. "Was I speeding because-"

"Step out of the car." The officer instructed her and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"I don't think I will." She said eyeing him. "I know my rights."

"And you went through a stop sign and are swerving. You're intoxicated and we have the right to search you." The officer told her and AJ laughed.

"Excuse me? I was not swerving-" She began.

"Step out of the car." The officer said placing his hand on his gun that was holstered to his hip.

AJ was hesitant and then noticed the officer standing behind the one talking to her and decided it was safer to step out of the car.

"Do you want to breathalyze me or-" She began then felt herself being pushed roughly onto the hood of her car. "Do you know who I am?" she asked angrily.

"Public Defender Mendez." The officer noted. "We know all about you."

"I doubt that." AJ scoffed.

"You're a cop hater." One officer stated and AJ lifted her head but then felt it being slammed back down on the hood of her car.

While being pressed onto the hood of her car she was frisked in a way that was so invasive she could cry. But she wouldn't let these officers get the best of her. AJ loved cops, she was IN love with one but she also knew not all cops were like the good ones.

"You're going to lose your badge." AJ threatened coldly.

"You're going to lose it all." One officer hissed at her. "Our arrest of Robert Mendez was legal-"

"No it wasn't!" she yelled and the officer turned her so she was laying on her back on the hood of the car.

"We are police officers. We know how to get our way." Officer Diaz, AJ read his name on his uniform, informed her. "I'm sure you ready about it a lot. Cops who get away with anything."

"You are a disgrace to the uniform." AJ hissed back. "You don't scare me."

"We should." The other officer added to her. His partner, Officer Romano. "Stop requesting our files, stop asking around about us-"

"Or what?" She asked.

"You'll be in a cell next to your daddy. And do you know how cop haters are treated in lock up by our own? You'll be getting bent over and rammed every morning and night." The officer threatened her coldly and AJ's eyes widened in shock.

"No matter what criminals you've had a run in with, we're scarier. We're the good guys- remember that, bitch." The officer spat and released AJ.

"Have a wonderful night PD Mendez." One officer said to her and the two climbed into their squad car and drove off, leaving AJ shaking.

* * *

AJ arrived at the restaurant and she could tell Punk was mad. He was dressed nicely and munching on the last bread stick at the table.

"You couldn't even fucking call?" Punk asked.

"I'm sorry." She whispered sitting down and Punk eyed her shaking hands as she reached for the menu.

"Ape." He said in a softer voice. "What happened?"

"What?" She laughed loudly, so loud that patrons turned to look at her. "I'm fine. I hit traffic."

"You're shaking, your jacket is torn and you look like you're about to cry." He noted quietly dropping the bread stick. Punk leaned forward over the table to look at her eyes. "What happened?"

"Nothing." She smiled forcefully as she quickly removed her jacket but she couldn't stop her hands from shaking and was looking at them. She knew Punk would grill her now.

She looked up and saw Punk eyeing her shaking hands and knew it was over. She didn't want to run to Punk with this, she didn't need him battling police officers. Even though he would want to know about potential dirty cops this would cause a lot of tension for him at work. Cops were a brotherhood and although most would side with Punk and the law, more than a few would take it personally. She wanted to speak to her boss about it first.

"Let's go." Punk said standing up.

"I want to eat!" She urged him. "Please."

"I want to know what happened to you tonight." Punk remarked seriously.

"Please. I don't want to do this here I just want to eat-" She began.

"I'm not eating until you tell me why you're late, why your hair is messed up and jacket is torn." He said sitting down again but pulling his chair from across the table to directly next to her. "Someone touch you tonight?" he asked and she looked away. "A client?" he asked and she shook her head as a tear fell from her eye and he felt his heart fall. He hated seeing her like this. "Ape, please." he pleaded quietly and took one of her shaking hands

"I got pulled over." She cried as quietly as possible and Punk eyed her with confusion. "These two officers pulled me out of my car on some bogus story that they thought I had been drinking. They pushed me onto my hood and frisked me. They frisked me in a way that I am sure isn't legal-"

"Names." Punk said coldly.

"Phil-" She began.

"I know you and I know you look at their names or at least badge numbers. I need them right now." He said to her as his face turned red.

"It was those two rookie cops I've been looking into." She told him.

"Romano and Diaz?" He asked and she nodded.

"They weren't pleased I was looking into them." She whispered.

"They said that?" He asked.

"In so many words." She scoffed as she sniffled. "I have never been more humiliated in my entire life. I have never been more disrespected in my entire life. I'm going to take care of this-" She began but he stood up and walked out of the restaurant leaving her speechless.

AJ jumped out of her seat and grabbed her jacket and ran after him. She looked to the left and right and saw him walking over to his car.

"Phil!" AJ yelled chasing after him and grabbing his arm before he could leave. "Let me handle this-"

"No. I think I'll handle it." He remarked calmly. Too calmly for her liking.

"I have channels to go through! I want to do this the right way!" She pleaded to him. "Please!"

"I can't let this go." He said to her. "Being a dirty cop and doing that to anyone pisses me off- doing it to you is personal."

"I don't think they even know about us." She reasoned and he eyed her like she was crazy.

"Do you think that fucking matters? Of COURSE they don't know about us. They never would have looked twice at you if they did but that doesn't matter, it was fucking wrong of them to abuse their power and pull you out of your car and grope you for doing your job. You did go through the proper channels, you've reported it to me. And I will see to it that it ends-" He ranted.

"We can't do that! I'm still working this case for my dad! I need to be smart about this!" She insisted. "I love that you want to avenge me, I really do." She said with a faint smile but he was still angry. "But this is my job and I have to handle this. I shouldn't have even told you about this. I told Phil my boyfriend not Punk the Detective. Let me talk to my bosses and figure this out."

"It's wrong." He told her.

"I know that and I know you know that. But I have a case to work, I can't have you interfering with it even though you have good intentions." She told him.  
"Please let me handle this."

"It's not that easy for me." He said quietly. "I know you're right- but seeing you shaking and afraid-"

"I know." She whispered. "I was just in shock-"

"You don't have to make an excuse for it." He said. "I'm so fucking angry for you-"

"I know you are." She said to him. "I've got this. Do you trust me?"

"You know I do." He forced out. "It's not about trust."

"Do you think I'm smart?" She questioned.

"You know I think you're the smartest person to walk this planet." He added and she gave him half a smile because she knew he truly felt that way.

"Then trust I'll be ok and fix this." She said to him. "I've got this." She added.

"You have to tell me if this happens again." He insisted. "If you ever get pulled over by them again you have to call me before pulling over-"

"I will." She promised.

"You scare the hell out of me." He groaned leaning against his car.

"I'm sorry." She said with a sad laugh.

"You keep me on my toes at least." He forced out and glared at her.

"When this all over I'll have Diaz and Romano's badges." She warned him. "It will blow back on you."

"I'm proud of you." He told her honestly. "I'll have your back and don't worry about me."

"You always have my back." She smirked. "Even when I'm wrong."

"You're not wrong here. Tension with cops as it at an all time high and it's because of officers like Romano and Diaz. They don't deserve badges." he told her.

* * *

Later that night Punk was sleeping soundly with his arm draped loosely over April's waist. Larry was at the foot of their bed but AJ couldn't sleep one wink. She just kept replaying her humiliation over and over again. She had heard stories about men abusing their power and privilege to sexually harass women but she never thought she'd be at the receiving end. She felt violated, dirty, angry, sad, confused and bitter. She gently moved Punk's off of her and crept into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

She had showered earlier but had the sudden urge to shower again. She wasn't raped, but she was touched in ways she never would let anyone but Punk touch her. They stayed above her clothes but she felt their touch burning through her dress. She scrubbed at her arms roughly and let the burning water wash it away. She felt dirty getting into bed with her boyfriend after someone else touched her in that way.

After twenty minutes she grabbed a towel and stepped out of the shower only to come face to face with her concerned boyfriend.

"I had to shower again- Larry was drooling on me." She explained but he just eyed her with sadness and that infuriated her. "Don't do that." She warned him.

"Do what?" He questioned.

"Look at me like that! I'm not a victim you're interviewing, I've gotten it worse from other men." She explained and he jerked his head.

"Excuse me?" he asked harshly.

"Do I need to remind you of my last mistake?" She asked him. "I was almost raped."

"It doesn't mean what happened tonight was any better." He reminded her. "No one has the right to touch you without your permission, me included. No one has the right to abuse their power like those two cops did tonight. You have every right to be disgusted and angry."

"I just didn't like how it was out in the open. People walked by and didn't say or do a damn thing. They saw a Spanish woman getting assaulted by two police officers and they all just kept walking." She told him.

"That's society." He reminded her. "People suck. Not all of them, if you're lucky you'll come across one or two good ones who can make up for it."

"I sleep next to one of the good ones every single night." She had to smile a bit.

"I love you." He told her. "I'm fucking proud of you and I am angry for you."

"I know you are." She said to him. "You're a rare breed."

"You promise you're going to talk to your boss in the morning?" he asked her.

"I swear to you." she told him.

"I'm taking you to work regardless." He told her and she sighed. "If you won't let me do anything I'm at least going to escort you to and from work so I can have some form of peace of mind."

"If you insist." She said but deep down she was relieved. "I have to meet with my dad tomorrow too."

"How is that going?" he asked her. "Not the case, the relationship."

"It is what it is." She sighed removing her towel and getting dressed. "I just want to work this case and move on. He's not as bad as Bonnie at least."

"Is anyone as bad as Bonnie?" He asked and she had to laugh.

"It's a hard to be worse." AJ admitted. "How was Bradford today?"

"He wants you to come back and work at the DA's office." He told her and she didn't say anything. "What? Are you actually considering it?"

"I wouldn't go back to work with him and do that to you." She told him and he laughed.

"Babe, you can do whatever you want to do. I'm confident in myself and our relationship." He remarked. "Don't let me hold you back."

"I miss it a bit." She shrugged. "It's not about the money but it was just totally different and I felt like I was actually doing good, you know? Now I find myself second guessing myself with every client I help get off."

"Think about it." Punk urged. "Do what makes you happy."

"I have too much going on right now to even consider it." She told him.

"I want your number one priority to be yourself." He told her. "Worry about your safety and your father's case, worry about Bradford and work later."

"Do you think he's safe?" AJ asked him.

"I hope so." Punk said to her and she frowned. "They have no leverage on him anymore so-" he began and the doorbell rang and AJ froze.

"What if it's Diaz and Romano?" She whispered and he smirked.

"I would be thrilled." He said almost smugly as he walked out of the bathroom and headed for the stairs.

"Who else would come here at this time?" AJ asked following him.

"It's ten." Punk laughed as he headed down the stairs. "We conked out early."

"Just be careful." She warned as he swung the door open and she watched his fall.

"Who is it?" AJ asked walking over and seeing a man she didn't recognize.

"Ape, can you give me a few minutes?" Punk asked her.

"No. Who is this?" She asked feeling her own protective side come into play.

"I didn't mean to intrude." Mike Brooks said with a nervous smile. "I'm Mike Brooks." he said to AJ and he mouth fell.

"Of course!" She said shaking her head. "It's been so many years since I've seen you."

"Ape." Punk warned.

"Fine." AJ said then smiled at Mike before walking back up the stairs.

"I don't have time for this tonight." Punk warned Mike nodding for him to come in and closed the door. "I have a lot going on and Ape needs me right now-"

"It won't take long." He assured his son. "Lovely home." He noted looking around.

"I thought you said this wouldn't take long." Punk said annoyed.

"Right." Mike said to him. "Sorry, look I was working earlier and I heard Calderon's guys."

"What did you hear?" Punk asked. "They mentioned Ape?"

"No." Mike said shaking his head. "They were talking about the DA. They're really pissed."

"Did you hear a threat?" Punk asked quietly.

"Not in so many words but it was implied." Mike told him. "I would have called but I don't have your number."

"Yea, great thanks." Punk said pushing him to the door. "Thanks for the tip."

"Look, I was thinking-" Mike began and Punk slammed the door in his face.

Punk grabbed his badge and gun from the safe and put on his sneakers quickly all the while texting Cody.

"Babe! I've got to go to work!" He yelled out.

"What? Why?" AJ asked walking down the stairs but by the time she made it down the stairs the door was already closed. "Phil?" she asked quietly looking around.

* * *

Punk was gone all night so AJ knew he was working a big case. She didn't want to bother him by asking him to take her to work as promised. She made it in early and waited in her bosses office for her.

"AJ?" He boss asked surprised as she walked inside.

"I know I'm early but I really have to talk to you." AJ said to her. "Something happened last night."

"That's why I'm so surprised to see you." She said to AJ with a frown. "You should be at the hospital."

"It wasn't that bad." AJ said brushing it off.

"Well, last I heard it was critical." She said sadly and AJ eyed her.

"What are you talking about?" AJ asked her boss.

"I'm talking about Detective Brooks being shot at Bradford Hamilton's home last night." Her boss told her and AJ froze. "I know you two live together-" She began but stopped. "You had no idea, did you? Nobody called you."  
AJ didn't say a word, she just ran out of the office.


	18. The Fear

**The Fear**

* * *

AJ made it to the hospital and saw the waiting room was filled with police officers, including Cody.

"AJ-" Cody began as she rushed to him.

"Why didn't you call me!" She cried.

"It happened so fast-" He tried to explain.

"Not so fast that everyone else knew!" She sobbed. "Is he alright?"

"He's still in surgery. He's been surgery for hours." Cody explained.

"What happened?" She asked as she still cried.

"He got a tip that Calderon was gonna hit Bradford, he raced over there last night. He was there when they rushed Bradford's place and they shot him." Cody told her.

"Where?" She asked fearfully.

"The chest." Cody choked out and AJ felt her knees go weak. "He's fucking tough."

"I need to call his mom-" AJ began.

"I called her. I tried calling you right after but your boss said you were on your way over." Cody told her.

"How bad was it?" AJ asked.

"I wasn't there." Cody said quietly, clearly beating himself up. "I wasn't fucking there." he hissed to himself.

"I need to talk to his doctor or someone." AJ told him desperately.

"They'll be out when the surgery is over." Cody told her calmly and she glared at him.

"I need to know now!" AJ screamed.

"April." Bradford greeted sadly, he was covered in blood, blood AJ knew was Phil's. AJ raised her arm and slapped him across the face.

"You did this!" she yelled. "Your lies got Phil shot!"

"I know." Bradford agreed. "He saved my life-"

"What a waste." AJ said disgusted. "He took a bullet for a coward."

"AJ, the doctor." Cody said nodding and AJ rushed over to him.

"How is he?" AJ asked the doctor.

"Are you family?" He asked her removing his face mask.

"Yes." AJ told him desperately. "How is he? Can I see him?"

"He's being moved to a room. The next 24 hours are going be rough..."

The doctor went into great detail about where Punk was shot and how it could still possibly kill him and how he did everything he could to save him. But AJ heard nothing. Everything seemed like background noise. She was in shock and she needed to see him.

"I have to see him." AJ said interrupting the doctor.

"He looks pale, he's hooked up to a lot of machines-" The doctor began.

"I have to see him!" She yelled and sobbed at the same time.

"You have to remain calm." He told her.

"Just let me see him." She cried.

"Follow me." The doctor said and AJ followed him.

* * *

AJ was sitting next to his bed for four hours now frozen in her seat. She was looking at him in complete shock.

"You can talk to him." The nurse told her.

"What?" AJ asked looking up at her with swollen red eyes.

"Talking to him is good." The nurse told her with a faint smile.

"Can he hear me?" She asked.

"You must be pretty special to him." The nurse said to her and AJ eyed her. "You're April, right?"

"I am." AJ said to her confused.

"Ape for short?" She asked and she nodded.

"When he was bought in he was really out of it. He kept saying 'Ape' over and over again." She told her. He was asking for you the whole time." she told AJ who cried again.

"I've seen people survive worse." The nurse told her and that gave AJ hope. "But you need to talk to him so he knows you're here waiting for him."

"His color is looking better." AJ pointed out.

"It is. And his vitals are getting stronger." She told AJ. "Talk to him." she urged one more time then walked out of the room.

"Hi." AJ whispered leaning over him from her chair. "You look like crap." she said honestly eyeing him. "I can't believe you did something so stupid." she scolded. "That man didn't deserve you taking a bullet for him. Did you even think about me? Did you think about how you dying would leave me totally and completely alone? You have been the one and only constant in my life since as young as I could remember and you just threw yourself in front of a bullet."

AJ looked at him as she took a breath and shook her head at him.

"I'll never forgive you for this." She warned him. "It's going to take a lot of groveling to get back on my good side. I'm talking nice dinners, jewelry, a foot massage every night for a year, ice cream and an X-Files marathon." she informed him.

She looked at him again and cried when he didn't even flinch. She was hoping he'd pop open his eyes and apologize to her but that was obviously not going to happen.

"I don't know how to live without you." She whispered. "You're not only the only man in my life to love me but you're the only person to. My mom sucked, my dad was gone and that was it for me. You were all I had and you're still all I have. If you die, I die." she told him quietly. "You have to wake up." she whispered into his ear and placed a gentle kiss there.

"Phil?" Jenny asked walking into the room and almost fell over upon seeing her son in such terrible condition.

"It's ok." AJ said jumping out of her seat and rushing to her.

"How did this happen?" Jenny cried. "How could this happen?" she asked AJ.

"I don't know." AJ whispered and looked back at Punk, she wanted those answers as well.

* * *

AJ wasn't sure what time or even day it was. Her and Jenny had barely left Punk's room. She knew for sure a day had passed since doctors said that was a very hopeful sign. She left the room when while doctors examined him, leaving Jenny to the task of questioning everything. She was exhausted. She needed to breathe. She stepped outside the hospital and breathed in the fresh air.

"Any updates?" A voice asked and AJ saw Bradford.

"The same." AJ said to him quietly. "I'm sorry for slapping you."

"Don't be." He said passing her his cup of coffee. "You need it more than I do."

"Who did it?" She asked him. "Did they get him?"

"Punk got him." Bradford said confused. "You didn't hear the story?"

"No. I haven't seen or head anything." She told him.

"A lower ranking Calderon family member came into him with orders to kill him. Punk pushed me out of the way and got shot." Bradford told her. "He was coming for me next and with whatever strength Punk had left, shot him just in time. It was very heroic."

"I'm sure it was." She muttered bitterly.

"I'm sorry." Bradford practically pleaded "You will never know how sorry I am. He's a good man and I know how much he means to you."

"He's everything to me." AJ agreed. "He needs to wake up."

"He will." Bradford told her. "He's too stubborn to die."

"God, I hope you're right." She sighed leaning against the hospital wall. "I really hope you're working on a way to bring down this entire crime family."

"You know it." Bradford said strongly.

"I want in." She told him. "I'll come back to the office-"

"April, no." He said quietly shaking his head.

"You've been begging me to come back." She argued.

"I have but having you work this case would be a conflict of interest and any case I build would be thrown out." Bradford told her and she knew he was right.

"You're right." She sighed. "I want them to pay."

"They will." Bradford promised her.

"Hi." A voice greeted from behind AJ and she turned to see her father standing there.

"I can't work your case right now. I-" She began.

"I read about your boyfriend in the paper." Robert said cutting her off. "I just wanted to see you."

"Why?" AJ asked almost insulted.

"That's the kind of thing parents do." Bradford whispered into her ear. "I'm going to go up and talk to Phil's doctors." He told AJ then walked away.

"I was worried about you." Robert admitted.

"Um." AJ said unsure of how to even respond. She never had a parent ask about her or be concerned over her.

"I just wanted you to know I was thinking of you, that's all." He said to her. "I won't be a bother."

"Wait." AJ said to him. "You have to be really careful. Those rookie officers are pissed that I'm looking into them."

"Did they say something to you?" Robert questioned and AJ could swear he sounded concerned again.

"Something like that." She forced out. "I can't get away from here but you need to lay low. Don't give them or any cop an excuse to stop you for any reason."

"Alright." Robert nodded. "But don't worry about me. I'm a big boy." He smirked a bit. "You take care, ok?"

AJ just nodded and watched her father walk away. She looked at her watch and realized she was gone far longer than she wanted to be.

* * *

When AJ made it back upstairs she saw Jenny outside his room crying and she dropped her cup of coffee and ran over.

"Jenny-" AJ began to question fearfully.

"He woke up!" She cheered throwing her arms around AJ. "The doctors are checking him over."

"Oh my god." AJ said placing her hand over her heart and happy tears escaped her eyes. "Was he talking or-"

"He asked for you." Jenny smiled wildly. "Even before he moved or opened his eyes he said your name."

"I have to see him." AJ said rushing past Jenny and barging into his hospital room.

"We need privacy-" The doctor began but AJ's eyes locked with Punk.

"Ape." he said with the weakest smile she had ever seen and rushed to his side.

"You can examine him with me here." She said taking his hand.

"No, we can't." The doctor argued.

"Figure it out." AJ snapped.

"It's fine." The other doctor said and Punk turned his head to look at her. "We were just finishing up."

"Is he alright?" She asked.

"He's still pretty out of it but he's able to move his muscles and he clearly knows you." The doctor noted. "Well need to do a more thorough brain examine later to see if there was any damage."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Just asking him what his name is, where he lives, who is the president." The doctor explained and with the last question Punk groaned.

"He's ok." AJ said already knowing based on that response and leaned over and kissed his head. "Hi, baby." She smiled holding onto his hand.

"Hi." He whispered weakly, he was still really weak.

"You scared the crap out of me." She told him and he gave her half a smile. "It's not funny. I don't even know what day it is or remember the last time I bathed."

"Beautiful." He said to her and she had to smile.

"You were the one shot, it's me who should be making you smile." She said to him. "Are you in pain?" she asked and he shook his head. "You're lying."

"I love you." He said looking at her.

"I know." She smiled happily.

"I came back for you." He said quietly.

"What?" She asked, not really hearing what he said.

"Tired." Punk groaned.

"Sleep. I'll be here." She urged him.

* * *

The next day Punk was more awake. AJ listened as he answered all the doctors questions and was in awe of him. He was gunned down days ago and he was up cracking jokes while answering the doctors questions.

"You have to be in pain." AJ said as the doctors left and Punk eyed her.

"I do have a huge hole in my chest." Punk said to her. "It does cause mild discomfort." he mocked.

"You should let them give you more pain medicine." She insisted.

"No. I've known too many guys who have gotten hooked on it after being shot." Punk said shaking his head. "Distract me."

"I'm not flashing you." She scolded and he laughed.

"I wasn't even thinking that but ok." Punk grinned. "Just one boob."

"You really are ok." She said relieved.

"Tell me about work." He said to her.

"Work? I haven't been to work." She practically laughed. "I haven't even been home. Maria picked up Larry the day you were shot and I haven't been home since."

"You need to go home and sleep." He told her. "But what did your boss say about Romano and Diaz?"

"Phil, I just told you I haven't been to work." She explained and he glared at her coldly.

"You promised me you'd talk to her." He argued.

"Please, Phil." She groaned. "We can't argue about this-"

"Are you fucking crazy?" he demanded to know growing more and more agitated. "You are in serious fucking danger and it slipped your mind to talk to someone about it?"

"I've been here! I'm not in danger!" She insisted.

"Ape, you have to talk to your boss." he insisted.

"You were shot. You have been the only thing on my mind." She told him.

"I'm fine." He remarked.

"You weren't! You were laying there connected to machines and I was talking to you and you were forced to listen without interrupting!" She began to cry.  
"Do you have any idea how scary that was? How you were the only thing on my mind? How I was so scared to-"

"I'm sorry." he sighed grabbing her hand and kissing it.

"I thought I was going to lose you." She said sitting at the edge of his bed. "I didn't have time to think about anything other than you. I screamed at Cody, slapped Bradford- I was all over the place."

"I know you were scared." He said to her. "But I really am ok."

"You don't look it." She pouted.

"Really? I think I look damn good." He said seriously and she let out a laugh as she cried.

"You know what I mean." She sighed.

"I'm going to be ok." He promised her.

"Promise?" She asked and he smiled.

"I swear." He said to her. "I kept hearing your voice. It bought me back."

"It didn't annoy you?" She asked seriously and he had to laugh again even though it hurt.

"So much so that it woke me up." He teased. "No it didn't annoy me."

"I was thinking maybe I can take some time off to help you at home while you heal." She suggested.

"I'd like that." He grinned. "I'll need someone to give me a sponge bath."

"I'll bathe you." She offered. "I'll feed you. I'll wait on you and foot." She whispered and his eyes lit up.

"What will you be wearing?" He asked intrigued.

"As little as you want me to." She offered and moaned.

"That sounds like a good few weeks off." He said to her.

"A few weeks?" She asked.

"I mean, yea." He shrugged. "I'll have to get back to work at some point."

"But a few weeks? You were just shot." She pointed out.

"Babe, I have to go back to work." He told her already knowing where this was going.

"But you'll work the desk, right?" She asked.

"No. You know I'd rather be dead than do that." He told her and she frowned. "You know my job is dangerous."

"I know this but usually once someone gets shot-" She began.

"They don't come back or go to desk duty." He finished for her. "I'm not built that way. As long as I'm cleared by my doctor I'm going back to my regular duties."

"What about me?" She asked.

"What about you?" He asked confused.

"You almost died on me." She reminded him. "You would have died before we even had a chance to live."

"I live my life everyday." He remarked almost smugly. "So do you."

"You live your life until you don't." She pointed out. "Don't you see a future for us?"

"Of course I do. A nice long one." He assured her.

"How can we have a future when you're going to risk dying?" She asked.

"Ape, you've never been afraid of my job before." he said to her.

"You've never been shot before." She argued.

"I know you're scared-" he began.

"I'm realistic." She corrected. "Not many people survive getting shot twice."

"And not many get shot twice." He added. "Being a cop isn't my job it's who I am."

"And what am I?" She asked.

"You're my life." He said without hesitation. "I have a dangerous job but I've always had this job. I'm going to be more careful."

"I don't believe that. You're too heroic for your own good." She muttered.

"It's what I do, Ape." He defended tiredly. "I can't promise I'll never get hurt again but I can promise I'll try harder not to. I know I have you waiting at home for me. I don't take that lightly."

"I love you." She told him and kissed his lips. "I've never been so terrified."

"I can see that. I would be too." He told her. "But I really do want you to go home for a little. Have some real food, sleep in a real bed."

"Nope." She said to him. "Not until all of your testing is done."

"It's going to be hours." He groaned. "Even my mom went home to sleep."

"It's because she knows I'll be here. Let's watch a movie." she suggested turning on his TV.

* * *

The second AJ found a movie for them to watch she was sleeping next to him in the bed. She was even snoring, she was exhausted and Punk made sure not to disturb her. He knew she had a rough week as it was but if the roles were reversed he'd feel the same fear she was feeling. He would huff and puff and bitch and complain until she quit her job. He just wasn't ready to the force.

"Hey." Cody greeted and Punk placed his finger to his lips so he wouldn't wake AJ. "Sorry." He whispered.

"What's up?" Punk asked quietly as AJ continued to snore.

"How are you feeling?" Cody asked quietly.

"Good. Better everyday." Punk told him in a whisper. "Did you ever run those names I gave you the night I was shot?"

"The rookies? Yea. They're clean as far as I can see." Cody shrugged. "Why did you ask?"

"Just curious." Punk said annoyed and looked down at his sleeping girlfriend. The anger of over the way she was treated the day he was shot was starting to resurface.

"They're being trained by Henderson crew." Cody told him. "You know he has a sketchy career history."

"Yup. I had a feeling." Punk said to him.

Detective Henderson ran a unit in Chicago, a team of officers that didn't really abide by the laws they were sworn to protect. That just made him more anxious for AJ.

"Is there something I should know?" Cody asked.

If Punk would just tell Cody what Diaz and Romano did to AJ he knew Cody would have it taken care of. Cody had the same values and moral code as Punk but Punk also remembered how he promised AJ he would stay out of it, so he would...for now.

"Nah." Punk said to him. "Not yet anyway."

"Can I bring you anything?" Cody offered.

"No. I have everything I need." Punk told him. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"You got it." Cody said walking to the door.

"Kill that light." Punk asked nodding at the switch. "This is the first real sleep she's had in days."

Cody turned the light off and walked out of the room. Punk dropped his head a bit and kissed the top of his girlfriends head. She had no idea how she saved his life. How knowing she was waiting for him is what truly bought him back to life.


	19. Growing Up Alone

**Growing Up Alone**

* * *

Punk was laying on the couch flicking through the channels. He was in the hospital for almost two weeks and had been home for three. AJ had stayed home with him his first week as much as she should but she was buried in work. He was getting bored. He did get to bond a lot with Larry which was the only positive but he was going stir crazy.

"I got you a present." AJ announced walking into the townhouse.

"Oh, good." Punk said pulling his shirt off and she glared at him.

"Put that back on." She warned him. "You're not cleared to have sex."

"If I knew getting shot meant I wouldn't be able to have sex with you I would have thought twice about it." He groaned putting his shirt back on.

"For a few weeks." She reminded him. "Not forever."

"These few weeks FEEL like forever." He remarked bitterly. "But what did you get me?"

"I got you your favorite donuts." She said passing him the box.

"I suppose this will due." He groaned but accepted the box.

"And a bunch of DVD's." She said passing him another bag. "And this." She said passing him a rose and he smirked, accepting the rose.

"How did you guess red roses were my favorite?" He teased.

"I've known you forever and ever." She shrugged and sat down next to him.

"How's work?" He asked putting the items down.

"If you want to know about Romano and Diaz just ask." She said knowing that he just wanted to know about that.

"Ok fine." Punk remarked. "What's happening with Romano and Diaz."

"I filed an official complaint." She shrugged. "Now I just wait and see."

"That's it?" Punk asked annoyed.

"That's it." She confirmed.

"Did they get suspended?" He asked.

"No they did not." She told him standing up. "But I think I might be able to get my father's case thrown out." She said standing up and cleaning up after Punk.

"How are you not as furious as I am?" Punk asked her annoyed.

"I am but it's not anything new to me." She told him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked.

"You're a man, you wouldn't get it." She told him and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Excuse me?" He questioned dramatically.

"I'm a Hispanic woman." She pointed out.

"So?" He asked confused.

"You know how it is for women. You know what happens when they complain about sexual harassment. It usually goes ignored just like this will but it won't even matter as long as I can get my dad off the hook." She told him.

"They might let it go in order to take the heat off of them." Punk reasoned. "It doesn't make you anymore safe though. It's time I get involved." He announced and AJ let out a loud laugh and he glared at her. "What is so fucking funny?"

"I don't need you to get involved." She said amused and leaned over and kissed him. "But thank you."

"What do you mean you don't me?" He asked offended. "You think because I got shot I can't do my job or protect you? Because I can!"

"Oh stop it." She laughed. "I knew you'd get like this."

"Get like what?" Punk asked.

"You're bored, you're sitting at home and you think I think less of you because you got shot. That I don't see you as my hero or protector." She said and he didn't say anything. "I do, and always will. You getting shot only made you more of a hero in my eyes. But this is my job and this is my career and this is my father and I have it under control for now."

"Do you?" He asked her. "What happens when you get pulled over again?"

"I call my boss." She told him.

"Wrong. You call me." He said and she rolled her eyes.

"You must think I'm incapable of doing anything." She argued.

"I do not think that. But you're no match for two armed police officers." Punk argued.

"You've been like this my entire life." She said annoyed. "My job at the supermarket, my relationship with Bradford, Devile! This even goes as far back as my me in the fifth grade."

"What are you talking about?" he asked with a scoff.

"You were a junior in high school and I told you how this boy at school was bullying me and you showed up one day after school and scared everyone into not messing with me." She said to him.

"I thought that was nice of me." He shrugged.

"It was humiliating." She corrected. "And it got me picked on even more."

"What? No way." He snorted.

"Yes way! Everyone called me a baby for having this old man come to the school to scare a bunch of kids." she informed him.

"Old man?" He asked annoyed. "Five years older." he reminded her.

"And remember when you drove me and my date to the spring dance in high school?" She asked.

"What did I do that night?" Punk asked innocently.

"You made my date sit next to you the whole way there, and made me sit in the back. You rambled on and on about how you were in the police academy and knew how to use a gun." She reminded him and he smirked.

"Maybe I was just bragging about my career choice." He shrugged.

"You weren't. You thought he was bad news." She told him. "You said you dated his cousins friend and knew he was after one thing. You thought you'd scare him into not touching me."

"And you're welcome." Punk grinned.

"You're welcome?" She asked amused. "He was my first."

"Your first what?" Punk asked narrowing his eyes at her. "Kiss? Slow dance?"

"Neither." She told him. "Right after you dropped us off we took the bus back to my apartment and Bonnie wasn't home-"

"You didn't sleep with him." He said cutting her off and she folded her arms in defiance. "After I scared him?" he asked stunned.

"You didn't scare him." She laughed.

"And I bet he used you and dumped you." Punk said to her.

"I broke up with him." She informed him. "One week after, I thought we were getting too serious." She shrugged.

"None of these stories are relevant to today." Punk said to her. "They're going to figure out about us."

"How so?" She asked amused. "I know you like to think you're the center of the universe but there are thousands of Chicago police officers, even if they did know I don't think they'd care."

"I think they would." He said back. "I know their boss."

"Henderson." AJ said nodding. "I did some reading up on him as well. He seems to get away with a lot."

"He does." Punk agreed.

"I mean it seems like a pretty poorly kept secret this guy does illegal things, why hasn't he been stopped?" AJ asked.

"There's more to it then just rumors." Punk told her. "He also does a lot of good."

"So that excuses his history?" AJ asked folding her arms.

"Of course not." Punk scoffed shaking his head. "He's a piece of shit and should be stopped. But he's smart. It's easier said than done."

"We'll see about that." AJ remarked when the doorbell rang.

She walked over to the door and opened it on a crack and was pleasantly surprised to Punk's father on the other side.

"Mr. Brooks." AJ greeted.

"Mike, please." Mike smiled and AJ nodded for him to come inside.

"I have to get changed." AJ announced and excused herself.

"What?" Punk asked looking at him.

"You were shot, that's what." Mike said sitting in the chair adjacent to the couch Punk was on. "How are you?"

"I have a huge hole in my chest and it hurts." Punk said to him. "You didn't know I was shot?"

"I did. Your mother called me but I wanted to give you space but I couldn't just wait around anymore." He groaned and Punk eyed him. "What can I do?"

"Nothing." Punk said to him. "Ape is taking excellent care of me and I'll be back to work soon anyway."

"You're going back?" Mike asked.

"I don't just run from my life, even though it seems to run in my blood." Punk mocked.

"I deserve that." Mike nodded. "I've banned the Calderon family from my place." he told Punk who shook his head.

"That was really fucking stupid. Now they're going to figure out we're related and they'll probably hit up your place now." Punk said to him. "Don't you ever think?"

"I was thinking my oldest son was shot and almost killed and I'm not going to host his assailants." Mike shot at him.

"You just painted a fucking target on your own back. We also could have used them there so we'd know where we could watch them." Punk said to him. "Are you trying to make my life difficult for me?"

"I'm trying to stand by my son." Mike corrected.

"You've never stood by me before so why start now? Stay out of my fucking business." Punk snapped.

"I just wanted to see you were alright." Mike sighed standing up but Punk didn't say a thing and waited for Mike to leave.

"That was a tad harsh, no?" AJ asked walking down the stairs.

"Do I give you shit about how you talk to Bonnie?" Punk asked her annoyed and she didn't say a thing. "That's what I thought. Stay out of it." he told her then stood up and stormed up the stairs himself.

* * *

Later that night Punk walked into the bathroom and saw AJ soaking in the bath and stood over it.

"What?" She asked looking up at him.

"You're mad at me and it's pissing me off." He stated and she laughed.

"I'm not mad at you." She said amused with a grin. "You must subconsciously feel guilty about the way you spoke to me and it's eating at you."

"I don't want to talk about Mike!" He yelled.

"I didn't say anything about him!" She yelled back with a laugh. "That's your subconscious again."

"Fuck off with that." He groaned sitting on the edge of the tub.

"Do I have to remind you-" She began.

"You took psychology in College?" He finished for her. "Please do because you only mention it three times a day and when you were taking the course I was the one who helped you study."

"I would never tell you how to feel or act around your father." She said to him. "I felt the way you spoke to him was harsh but I shouldn't have said anything because he's not my father and it's not my business. I'm sorry."

"I just want him to leave me alone and not put himself into the middle of my case." Punk said annoyed. "I'm never going to be his son." he said and AJ remained quiet. "It's like Bonnie."

"It's not like Bonnie." AJ said looking at him. "My mother didn't give a crap about me. My mother shows up when she needs money. You grew up with Jenny who loved you so much and now you have a father who wants nothing from you but to protect you. Poor you." She mocked.

"He walked out on me." He reminded her. "He left me and Jenny."

"He did. And he wanted to be part of your life and you always shot him down because you took a side during the divorce." She argued lightly. "You can't compare being loved to being ignored."

"You weren't ignored." He scoffed.

"Really?" She asked with a laugh and he frowned. "If your mom didn't help me as much as she did I'd be dead or living on the street. I was so jealous that she was your mom and not mine. I used to cry about it."

"Really?" He asked sadly.

"The night of my prom I didn't have anyone to help me get ready like my friends had their mom's or even their sisters." She told him. "I looked like a mess and when I was walking out of the building to leave to meet my date at the bus stop your mom ran down with her camera and took pictures of me. It was...it meant more to me than she probably even realizes. My mom went to Atlantic City that weekend and didn't even know it was my prom."

"You're right. Bonnie sucks." Punk agreed. "But your dad seems to be trying."

"No. My dad needs something." She pointed out. "My parents always need something in order to talk to me. Remember how my father told me he sent Bonnie money and I never saw a dime of it?"

"Yea." He said confused.

"I was able to gain access to his financial records and he went two checks in my whole eighteen years of life and one was for twelve dollars and it was for a pair of sneakers." She told him. "Not that I ever saw that money but he lied to me too."

"Why are you still helping him?" Punk asked her. "He doesn't deserve your time or attention."

"Because I don't see him as my father, he's my client and I'd do this for anyone I felt was being railroaded." She told him.

"And you still believe that?" He asked her skeptically. "He could have lied about that."

"No way. Not with the way Romano and Diaz have treated me and reacted to this case. This might one of my biggest cases in history and I'm not letting my deadbeat dad ruin it for me." She smiled proudly.

"I wish I was more like you." He sighed.

"It's lonely." She admitted and he eyed her.

"What?" He asked. "You're never alone. You'll always have me."

"Don't you ever wonder why I was so afraid of getting attached to you when we were just friends with benefits?" She asked.

"You worried it would taint our friendship." He shrugged.

"If it tainted it, I would lose you and have nothing." She told him. "I told you in the hospital and I'll tell you again, you've been the only constant in my life since I could remember. Losing you in anyway would kill me."

"Don't talk like that." He said quietly. "Besides, I'm not going anywhere."

"But you have your mom, you know?" She said and just eyed her. "You can always call her up or go see her or know you have someone besides me at your bedside. I've never had that. It's always only been you."

"I'm sorry you feel that way." He said to her. "You have a lot of friends."

"I don't have family." She corrected.

"You have me and I'll always be your family." He reminded her.

"You know what I mean." She smiled lightly. "It's ok, I'm used to it. All I'm saying is that you have a father willing to throw down with mobsters for you. I've never had a parent do a selfish thing for me in my entire like and you're throwing this in your fathers face, I couldn't help but make a comment but I also can't relate to your father walking out on you because I don't remember when my father doing it, you remember yours."

"I don't want to talk about our parents anymore." He said to her.

The doorbell rang and Punk groaned.

"I'll get it." She said sitting up and reaching for her towel but he stopped her.

"Stay and relax, I've got it." He told her.

* * *

Punk made it down the stairs slowly and swung the front door open and saw two uniformed officers.

"What?" Punk asked and the smug officers chuckled.

"You need to step aside." The officer said about to step in and Punk held his arm up.

"You have a warrant to enter?" Punk asked.

"These badges are our warrant." Officer Diaz smirked pointing to his badge and Punk let out a laugh.

"Yea? You looking for AJ?" Punk asked amused. He wasn't even the slightest bit intimidated and he was actually thrilled to see Diaz and Romano because now he could be involved without breaking his promise to AJ.

"We are. We have some questions for her." Romano told him as he eyed Punk. Punk could tell Romano recognized him but couldn't really place his face just yet.

"She's busy." Punk said to him.

"We're cops." Diaz reminded him and Punk laughed again.

"So?" Punk asked. "You need a warrant to step into my house."

"You a lawyer too?" Diaz laughed.

"It's fine." Romano said to Diaz. "We'll catch her later."

"No way." Diaz said to him but Romano was growing nervous. "This guy doesn't tell us what to do."

"I do though." Punk said cutely and pulled out his badge. "So which one of you felt up my girls ass?"

"Woah." Diaz said nervously.

"I'm Detective Brooks, Vice." Punk told them smugly. "So, which was it?"

"Which was what?" Romano asked stuttering.

"Which one of you grabbed her ass? Which one was frisked her breasts?" He asked curiously but calmly.

"That never happened." Officer Diaz told him and Punk just nodded sarcastically.

"Of course it didn't! She made that up because...because why?" He asked them.

"Because she's trying to clear her fathers name." Diaz told him and Punk smiled.

"She doesn't even know him. Try again." Punk urged in a cold voice now. "And give me one good reason I shouldn't-"

"Who is it?" AJ asked coming to the door with a robe tied around her body. "Oh." She said suddenly nervous, she did not like the fear she felt.

"We just wanted-" Diaz began.

"To apologize for any misunderstanding." Romano finished for him. "I think things got out of hand."

"You got out of hand." AJ told them.

"It looks like your father is going to walk and we were thinking we'll drop our charges against him and you can drop your complaint against us." Romano suggested and Punk laughed.

"Do you realize I'm an officer of the law?" Punk asked him in disbelief. "Are you fucking kidding?"

"I think the three of us just want to go our own way." Diaz told Punk stiffly. "Let's not make this difficult for everyone."

"Lets." Punk suggested. "I like difficult. Why don't you try to frisk her right now?" he challenged coldly and AJ knew he was itching for a fight.

"Brooks, right? Weren't you just shot?" Diaz asked.

"Relax." Romano said to him.

"You're supposed to be one of us, we're supposed to be brothers." Diaz said to Punk.

"I'm a cop, I'm a damn good one. I've been doing this job for many years. You just got a badge and a bad power trip." Punk told him. "You disrespected not only your badge, this city and an officer of the court, but she's also my girl." he informed him. "You two made a huge mistake. One that I will NEVER forget."

"It's enough." AJ said stepping between the two but looking up at Punk with pleading eyes.

"Don't come back here again." Punk warned them then slammed the door in their faces.

"What were they doing here?" She asked him peeking out the peephole to make sure they were leaving.

"They either wanted to make a deal with you." He told her.

"Or?" AJ asked looking back at him.

"Or they were looking to get touchy again." He said honestly. "I stayed out of it until they showed up here." He defended quickly.

"They just can't take the hint." AJ said shaking her head as she locked up the door.

"They'll get the hint." Punk said to her. "But I'll be taking you to work tomorrow. I'm cleared to drive." he informed her and she didn't even bother to argue.


	20. Walk Out

**Walk Out**

* * *

Punk strolled into the police station after dropping AJ off at work and even though being off had been nice, he was missing work. He peered around and saw Cody at his desk and sat in his own.

"What are you doing here?" Cody asked.

"I can't just come in and see my partner?" Punk asked nervously and Cody eyed him. "I was taking AJ to work and thought I'd drop by." He shrugged.

"Why were you taking her to work?" Cody asked as he typed at his computer.

"Why wouldn't I?" Punk asked defensively.

"This about Romano and Diaz?" Cody asked not even looking up.

"You know about that?" Punk asked and he finally looked up at his friend.

"Word travels fast." Cody said to him. "They said AJ was targeting cops-"

"They targeted her. They assaulted her." Punk told him coldly.

"Hey, I'm on team AJ, you know this." Cody said to him. "But..."

"But what?" Punk asked.

"She's rubbing some of the guys and girls the wrong way here." Cody warned.

"She's doing her job." Punk informed him.

"I know that." Cody whispered.

"They pulled her out of her car and felt her up." Punk told him and Cody frowned.

"I'm on her side, I just told you this." Cody told him. "But you know how some of the guys get. They think outsiders should leave the policing to the police."

"She's not an outsider. She's worked in this station for years defending or prosecuting the people we arrest." Punk told him. "And if anyone has a fucking problem with her, they could come to me about it." He stated loudly glaring around the room.

"You know all of us in Vice adore her." Cody smirked. "It will blow over."

"I don't need anymore pissed off cops hunting her down." Punk told him.

"They won't." Cody scoffed shaking his head. "I don't know what those two rookies were thinking anyway. Not only is she an officer of the court but she's your girl. Makes no sense."

"I have a strong hunch they didn't have any idea about my connection to her." Punk informed him. "They came by my place last night looking for her. Was not expecting me or a badge."

"Hopefully you spooked them. But it's Henderson you need to spook." Cody warned.

"I'd be delighted to spook him." Punk grinned. "Teach him to send his fucking rookies after AJ like that." he said disgusted. "And let's not forget this all started because they are railroading her father for being Puerto Rican."

"A lot of people are saying she's trying to paint them as dirty to protect her old man." Cody told him and Punk rolled his eyes.

"She's not like that. She can't even stand him." Punk said waving his hand. "She's just a good person."

"Relax. It will blow over. Henderson will cut those two loose before AJ can dig deeper into his crew." Cody told him. "Enough about this, how are you feeling?"

"Antsy." Punk shrugged. "I like being home with Larry and having AJ wait on me hand and foot but I'm ready to get back."

"You still have a few weeks." Cody reminded him.

"I'm well aware." Punk groaned. "I've run out of TV to watch. I can't even touch my girlfriend and I've spent all of this time trying to train Larry and he still pisses all over my house."

"You're so miserable when you're bored." Cody laughed.

"I'm not miserable." He said eyeing the paperwork on Cody's desk. "What's that you're working on?"

"None of your fucking business." Cody said covering his paperwork. "Go home."

"Fine." Punk said standing up. "Henderson around?"

"No. Go." Cody ordered.

"Fine." Punk said standing up. "But I want you to call me if you hear anything about those two morons or Henderson."

"Will do. And don't worry, I'll watch AJ's back." Cody assured him and Punk just nodded and left.

* * *

Punk walked into his house and when he heard Larry upstairs crying and more noise he realized he wasn't alone. He reached for his gun and tried not to smile, finally some action. And he was hoping he would be catching either a Calderon who nearly killed him or a dirty cop as he quietly headed up the stairs. His and AJ's bedroom door was open and Punk peered in and saw who was inside. Punk sighed and pushed the door open startling the man.

"Sorry." The man said standing up. "I was just-"

"Raiding your daughter's jewelry box?" Punk finished for him as he tucked his gun away, AJ's father was no threat. He was a desperate old man looking for cash.

"She said it was fine. I was just-" He began again.

"No she didn't." Punk laughed leaning against the door. "You're going to empty you pockets or I'm going to arrest you." he said to Robert who reached into his pocket and pulled out some jewelry.

Punk walked over and eyed the jewelry and picked up a bracelet.

"Do you know where AJ got this?" He asked Robert as he smiled at the bracelet.

"I don't want any trouble." Robert said nervously.

"Really? Yet you showed up in a cop's house and tried to rob it." Punk laughed sarcastically. "I got this for AJ. Her sixteenth birthday." Punk said admiring it.  
"I had to save up for like a month to get this for her. I wanted her to have one nice present because her parents were such deadbeats she wouldn't get a fancy party like all of her friends did."

"Look-" Robert began.

"She was the only girl in her class who didn't have a sweet sixteen." Punk told him shaking his head. "She kept saying she didn't want one anyway that they were stupid but deep down she wanted that one night. She wanted to put on a pretty dress, get her hair and makeup done and have everyone celebrate her but that wasn't going to happen. Bonnie gave her a kiss on the cheek and $4 to treat herself to a slice of pizza for dinner."

"I didn't realize Bonnie was so neglectful." Robert said to him.

"I'm sure you didn't. I'm also sure you didn't care." Punk said to him. "You should have seen her face when I gave this to her. To you it's a silver bracelet but to AJ it was the first time someone gave her a present that was more than $4. Her face lit up and she wore it everyday for years."

"She was lucky to have you in her life." Robert said to him.

"I was lucky to have her." Punk corrected putting the bracelet back in the box and looking at the other items. "Everything else in there is stuff she bought for herself because she is a proud kick ass woman. She wants something? She fucking buys it. Do you know how difficult it is to shop for her on Christmas? I suppose you wouldn't." Punk said picking up the other items and putting them back in her jewelry box.

"The charges were dropped. I got the call today." Robert told him.

"And you celebrated that news by breaking into the woman's house who got you off?" Punk asked confused.

"I have to get out of town." Robert told him. "These cops are pissed and I don't want to get into anymore trouble."

"But is ok AJ is in trouble?" Punk asked him as he inspected the rest of the room to see if Robert took anything else. "She really put her ass on the line for you. But don't be flattered, she's just a good person and would do it for anyone. You weren't special. She's special."

"I know." Robert nodded.

"No you don't." Punk chuckled. "You don't know anything about your own daughter. And even though she grew up with a shit mom and no father she didn't let it define her. She could have easily fell into the wrong crowds but she worked so hard. I mean she paid her way through law school. She pushed herself to succeed and she never had a parent show up on her student teacher nights or a graduation or one to hug her when she passed her bar exam."

"I'm not father material." Robert said to him.

"Oh, I know that." Punk scoffed. "You're barely human material. You realized your little girl grew up to be a smart lawyer and saw a way out of your charges. You thought playing the father card meant you'd have a PD that would actually care. Again, you're not special. Ape cares for every single case she works." he informed him proudly. "She cares a bit too much if you were to ask me. But she's a better person than I am."

"She's wonderful." Robert agreed and Punk glared at him.

"You made an error coming into my our house to steal from her. Because if you were stealing my shit I wouldn't even think twice but you had to fucking take her stuff." He said and Robert frowned.

"I'll leave and she'll never hear from me again." Robert said to him.

"You dug her into deep shit, tried to steal her stuff and then just leave." Punk said to him.

"I can't do anything for her." Robert told him.

"That I agree with." Punk replied. "She went her whole life without you and she was too smart to let you back in. This won't hurt her at all."

"Good. I don't want her to hurt." Robert said to him.

"How fucking nice of you." Punk remarked sarcastically. "She's unbreakable. She's one of the strongest people I know. She's a fucking rock."

"I believe you." Robert said to him. "And I'm sorry."

"It's too late for that shit." Punk said shaking his head. "But before you go, I want you to know that you missed out on an amazing kid. She fights for what she believes in, she was a straight A student, she always made honor roll, she never took a drug in her life, she loves animals and not just the cutesy ones- literally all animals, she has respect for herself and everyone she meets. And she loves unconditionally. It's a fucking crime that you'll never really know how you're missing out on someone like her. But again, don't feel bad. She was onto your game. Get the fuck out of my house and Chicago."

"You're not arresting me?" Robert asked.

"And erase all the shit AJ did to get you off? No chance." Punk said to him. "Unless I see you again."

"You won't." Robert assured him. "Tell her-"

"I'm not telling her a thing." Punk snapped.

Robert walked out the door and saw AJ leaning against the wall outside clearly eavesdropping.

"April-" Robert again.

"You heard Phil, get out." AJ said simply and nodded for him to leave.

Robert didn't dare say another word. He jetted down the stairs and ran right out the door.

"Ape." Punk greeted surprised when he saw her. "It was-"  
AJ walked towards him and threw her arms around him and sobbed into his chest. He held her tightly and kissed the top of her head.

"I'm not surprised I'm just disappointed." She said crying into his chest.

"I know" He whispered holding her.

"Why doesn't anyone love me?" She asked him and he nearly cried himself.

"I love you more than life itself." He reminded her.

"That's not what I mean." she said as he felt his shirt get damp.

"They're idiots." Punk said simply. "They're people who never deserved to have you in their lives in the first place." AJ looked up at him with the saddest face he had ever seen and cupped her face. "I mean it. They don't deserve to breathe the same air as you. We're a family. We've always been a family."

"I know but..." She trailed off. "It hurts." She confessed.

* * *

After an hour of calming AJ down and letting her have her breakdown she laid in bed with him.

"What are you doing here?" Punk asked confused as he played with a strand of her hair that had fallen over his chest.

"You rushed me out this morning and I forgot my briefcase." She sighed. "I should get back to work."

"You should lay here in bed with me for the rest of the day. We'll order pizza and watch Batman movies." he said tiredly.

"That sounds appealing." She had to admit.

"Do you want me to have your dad picked up?" He asked her.

"No." She said stiffly. "That's all I need right now. Let him leave town and get him out of my hair."

"Alright." He said to her. "You know, it's not you-"

"I don't want to talk about it anymore." She sighed sadly. "I try really hard and I knew not to expect anything from him but it still hurt."

"That's only natural." He said to her.

"Promise me if we ever get married and decide to have children that we won't let them ever feel like I do right now." She pleaded.  
"Never." He said kissing the top of her head. "Larry feels loved." he noted as Larry laid in-between their feet at the foot of the bed.

"He feels loved by the birds outside the window." She snorted.

"He is easily entertained." Punk had to agree with a laugh.

"Thank you for saying all those nice things about me to Robert." She said to him.

"I'm your biggest fan." He said simply. "I meant every word. I think your parents are stupid for blowing you off your entire life. But it's nothing to do with you. They were young and still immature. You didn't need them."

"It was weird when I was planning my wedding with Bradford." She began. "I didn't have anyone to give me away- well, I was going to ask you."

"Me?" He asked with a laugh. "I'm glad you didn't because giving you away would have been the hardest moment of my life."

"Really?" She asked looking up at him.

"I didn't like you with Bradford." He admitted.

"I know that." She laughed a bit. "But you didn't like me with anyone."

"No one was good enough for you. No one knew you like I did." He told her. "They wouldn't make you happy."

"You were right about that." She grinned.

"When we get married you don't need anyone to give you away." He informed her. "That's cliché anyway."

"When?" She asked amused.

"Yea. I mean, that's the next logical step isn't it?" He asked her.

"You'd want to marry me? Mister "I never want to get married" would marry me?" She asked with a laugh.

"Of course I will." He said to her. "You've been my partner in life since forever. It only would make sense that you're my partner in life for life."

"When are we getting married?" She asked curiously.

"Oh, I don't know." He teased.

"You're going to propose and get down on one knee? The whole cliché?" She asked amused.

"Hell yea I will." He said proudly. "I'll get you a flashy ring too. And we don't need parents or anyone else there. Just us."

"Well, I need Jenny there." She told Punk. "She's the only one who knows how my hair works."  
"My mom can be there. Maria, Cody." He told her.

"I like the idea of a small little wedding. And Larry." She added.

"Can't get married without our son." Punk agreed.

"Well, this has cheered me up and I have to get to work." She said sitting up and he tugged her back down. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"I don't feel good. You have to stay here and hang out with me." He told her.

"Phil, I can't miss work again." She warned.

"I'm in pain." He lied unconvincingly.

"Phil." She groaned.

"Just today." He pleaded. "I'm too bored today. If you leave I'll go to the gym or-"

"You can't work out yet!" She scolded.

"I'm desperate." He sighed. "I'll call your boss." he said grabbing her phone.

"You will not. I'm not a fifteen year old child who needs her parent to get her out of school." AJ scolded snatching the phone back. "I'll call myself."

"Good." He said to her laying back down.


	21. Change Of Plans

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews everybody!**

* * *

 **Change Of Plans**

* * *

Another four weeks later and Punk was finally back to work. He was home for nearly three months and was just about to burst. He practically whistled as he walked into the station and sat at his desk.

"Um, excuse me." A man smiled as Punk sat down.

"What?" Punk asked gruffly.

"You're sitting at my desk." The Detective pointed out.

"Oh, no." Punk laughed a bit. "I'm sitting at my desk. This has been my desk for ten years."

"Detective Brooks?" The officer asked with a nervous laugh. "I was just filling in while you were out-"

"And I'm back now." Punk smiled sarcastically. "And this is my desk."

"Relax." Cody laughed sitting across at his own desk.

"He should relax." Punk said to his partner. "So, what have I missed?" he asked Cody once the other officer walked away.

"You've been in constant contact with me." Cody laughed. "We just went to dinner with the girls last night. You're in the loop on everything."

"Let me see the case files you have." Punk said holding his hand out anxiously and Cody passed him the paperwork.

"Aren't you a little sad to be back?" Cody asked amused.

"I am going to miss waking up to Ape rushing into the shower every morning because usually I'm at work before her still at work. It will be an adjustment to not just wander into her shower everyday." He sighed sadly and dramatically.

"Good, the poor girl finally gets a break from you." Cody teased.

"Yea. I think I was tiring her out. Once I was cleared for sex that's all I wanted to do since it was all I could do." He shrugged. "And it's not easy to tire her out."

"Lucky gal." Cody snorted. "So, when are you taking the plunge?"

"What do you mean?" Punk asked.

"Maria said you're going to propose and I said that couldn't be true because you'd discuss it with me first." Cody said seriously.

"Where did Maria hear it?" Punk asked.

"I would assume AJ." Cody smirked. "So, what's the deal?"

"We've discussed it." Punk admitted quietly. "I mean, why not? She's my perfect girl. Smart, beautiful and my best friend." He shrugged. "There's no one else out there for me."

"You always said marriage was stupid." Cody pointed out.

"I came from a broken home so did Ape." Punk pointed out. "We both felt that way about marriage but now it's like we want to create what we didn't have."

"That's actually really sweet." Cody had to admit. "So, when are you doing it?"

"I don't even have a ring." Punk told him. "But probably before the end of the year."

"It's November." Cody pointed out.

"I could run out and buy a ring now if I wanted to. Getting the ring is the least of my problems." Punk told him.

"So, what are you waiting for?" Cody asked.

"Timing." Punk told him almost proudly. "I don't want to do it on a holiday because everyone else does. I have to put some thought into it."

"She's going to say yes no matter when or where." Cody told him.

"AJ has been through the ringer with her parents. She's never had anyone put her first or have any special moments because of them. I'm going to correct that." he told him proudly. "I'm doing this right. I want her to have this one perfect moment."

"Now I think you're over thinking it." Cody joked.

"I'm not." Punk said to him.

"Detective Brooks." A voice greeted from behind Punk and he turned in his chair and looked up to see a Detective he knew about, but had never personally met. "I heard you were back today. I'm glad to see you made a full recovery."

"Why do I feel like you've been waiting for me to come back?" Punk asked folding his arms.

"I think you think too highly of yourself." The man smiled. "May I have a word with you?"

"Is it about the public defender who is about to get your two men fired?" Punk asked almost proudly.

"I don't want to discuss this here." Henderson said to him.

"I don't think we should be discussing it at all." Punk said to him. "What the public defenders office does isn't my business or yours."

"Oh but it is my business." Henderson informed him. "And I would assume you take a special interest since you are sleeping with the lead Public Defender."  
Punk stood up proudly and smirked as he eyed the man.

"Your officers sexually assaulted her." Punk informed him. "She should have pressed criminal charges instead of just filing a complaint. If she had listened to me, they'd be getting ready for trial."

"Let's not get so dramatic." Henderson said back to him. "We all get a little handsy sometimes with suspects."

"She wasn't a suspect." Punk shot back at him. "She was a woman driving alone down a road and your officers abused their power. They knew she was a public defender and did it anyway. Was that your idea?"

"I stand by my officers." Henderson told him. "They had reason to believe she was intoxicated and took the proper and legal measures."

"Bullshit." Punk would have laughed if it wasn't so infuriating.

"Your girlfriend won't have a career if she pursues this." Henderson warned him in almost a whisper and Punk narrowed his eyes at him. "Her job depends upon her relationship with this station and the men and women and blue. They see her as a traitor."

"She's not a traitor. She's making the City a safer place. Like I said, if she had listened to me, she would have pressed charges and ruined their lives." Punk told him.

"Them losing their badges is ruining their lives." Henderson said to him. "I think we could all come to some sort of an agreement on this. Her father was cleared and left town, there's no reason for her to drag this out now."

"There is though. Your two rookies assaulted her." Punk reminded him slowly and loudly.

"Keep your voice down." Henderson warned him.

"Fuck you." Punk spat. "I support AJ, everyone in this house supports her and I highly suggest you butt out of it and let your rookies take the fall unless you're too scared they'll sell you out to save their own asses."

"I don't like what you're implying." Henderson said to him.

"Likewise." Punk said to him. "I plan on staying out of this situation and I'm going to make sure you do as well."

"Is the ass worth it?" Henderson questioned.

"AJ and I go a long way back. We grew up together." Punk informed him. "I'm not going to let you, two rookies or anyone else attempt to intimidate her. She's stubborn and strong as it is. It's a fight you don't won't and can't win."

"We'll see about that." Henderson said giving him half a smile. "I like a challenge."

"It's not a one on one challenge." Punk reminded him. "Fuck with her, you're fucking with me." he warned.

"I feel as if Ms. Mendez is more than capable of taking care of herself." Henderson said to him.

"Am I interrupting?" Jenny asked stepping between the men.

"No. We were just finished." Punk said glaring at the man.

"Detective Henderson." He introduced himself and stuck his hand out.

"Aren't you charming." Jenny smiled at the handsome older man. "I'm Phil's mom."

"No way." Henderson gasped. "You have to be at least his sister, way too young to be his mom."

"Fuck off." Punk said pulling his mother away.

"Phil." Jenny scolded.

"Don't talk to him." Punk told her as he walked his mother over to his desk. "What are you doing here?"

"Your first day back I just wanted to see you." Jenny smiled.

"I'm not in kindergarten I don't need you to see me off." Punk said sitting down at his desk.

"You're grouchy." Jenny snorted and Punk glared at her.

"I don't like that guy." Punk said annoyed.

"Why is that?" Jenny asked. "I heard AJ's name."

"It has to do with a case she's working." Punk said to her.

"She'll hate that you're butting into her professional life." Jenny warned.

"I will always butt in if I feel she isn't safe. Whether she likes it or not." He shrugged.

"Not safe?" Jenny asked concerned. "Why wouldn't she be safe?"

"It's a long story." Punk said brushing it off.

"Did you know he's proposing?" Cody asked Jenny and Punk shot him a nasty glare.

"To AJ?" Jenny gasped as tears almost fell from her eyes.

"Ma-" Punk began.

"You're going to get married?" She asked in a happy whisper.

"I haven't asked her, I haven't even gotten a ring but we've discussed it." Punk said to her.

"I thought I'd die without being a grandmother." Jenny sighed as a tear fell from her eye and Punk rolled his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked slapping her son.

"Because it's between me and Ape." Punk said simply.

"I have a ring for you." Jenny insisted.

"Um, no thanks." Punk laughed. "I'm not proposing to be with Ape forever with a ring from your broken marriage."

"Not my engagement ring." Jenny said shaking her head. "Your grandmother's ring." Jenny told him.

"That blue ring you got into a fist fight with Aunt Karen over when she died?" Punk asked amused. "You love that ring."

"I fought for that ring to give it to you to give to my future daughter." Jenny explained. "It's a blue sapphire surrounded by diamonds. White gold band- it's perfect!"

"I don't know. I wanted to get her something original." Punk said to her.

"Your grandmother had a very happy marriage. Your grandfather was jeweler and made that ring himself. There's a lot of family history there and I just had it appraised for insurance and it's worth over six thousand." Jenny told him and that caught Punk and Cody's attention.

"Really?" Punk asked.

"It's a high quality ring. And then AJ can pass it down to your daughter." Jenny told him excitedly.

"I have to look it again first." Punk said unsure.

"I'll bring it by tonight." Jenny told him.

"When Ape is home? You do realize I'm trying to keep this quiet." Punk said to her.

"He's only back on light duty and will be home in six hours." Cody told her.

"When are you going to get married? What about babies? She's a busy career woman and I know-" Jenny began as Punk stood up and gently guided her to the exit.

"We'll talk later." Punk said to her.

"But-" Jenny began to complain.

"Bye." He said kissing his mother on the cheek then opening the door for her to leave.

* * *

AJ had promised Punk she would come home during lunch to walk Larry. She tried to talk him into hiring a dog walker but not only did Punk not want someone having a key to their home, he didn't want anyone around Larry he didn't know well. He was very protective over the wolf like dog. AJ was too, but having a dog walker would be a huge help.

"Hurry up." AJ said to Larry as he sniffed around outside. "Mommy has to get to work."

"Cute dog." A man greeted.

"Oh, thanks." She said giving him a brief smile then looking back down at Larry.

"What kind of dog is he?" He asked.

"We don't know." She said then saw the badge on the man's belt and felt her stomach turn.

"I don't believe we've met." He smiled and she frowned.

"I think it's best we don't formally meet." AJ said to him stiffly. "You're Detective Henderson."

"I am." He smiled. "We need to have a talk."

"We can have a formal discussion in front of witnesses and my boss." She told him. "I won't be talking about the case of your rookies here on the street."

"You're a very good attorney. Are you sure you want to blow your career on two rookies?" Henderson questioned.

"I'm not blowing my career. I'm right, I know I'm right and I'm going to prove it." She told him. "The courts will see it that way too. The City is very much trying to prove to the citizens how they are cracking down on reckless officers. This is a way to prove it and you know it and that's why you're scared.

"I'm not scared." Henderson smiled. "I've worked for the City for 25 years now. I'm one of the most well respected and decorated officers on the force."

"Too bad the men you train suck." She said bluntly and he bit on his bottom lip so he wouldn't smile.

"You think so?" He asked amused.

"I know so. Is that what you do too? You going to push me down and touch me too?" AJ asked in almost a challenging voice.

"I don't do that sort of thing, neither do my men." Henderson told him. "We have lines we don't cross."

"I think there's a lot of gray." She said to him looking him right in the eyes.

"Did my men really put their hands on you?" Henderson asked seriously.

"I would never file a false claim against officers. I have the utmost respect for law enforcement." She told him honestly. "They also came to my house."

"Did they?" Henderson asked curiously.

"I'm sure you sent them there." She said as she walked Larry and Henderson walked next to them.

"Why would I send them to your home?" Henderson asked her.

"To scare me into not moving forward." She told him.

"There is a lot of gray in my line of work but I am a smart and fair man." Henderson told her coolly. "I'm well aware of who you are. You were engaged to Bradford Hamilton, you were an ADA and I knew you were living with the officer who had just been shot. I would never send my men to your home."

"You know a lot for a man who claims to know nothing." AJ said to him.

"A lot of lawyers like to make a name for themselves by getting a big case. Bringing down rookies is a big case. I was also very curious since this started with your father." Henderson noted.

"They railroaded him too." AJ told him.

"I'll tell you what." He began. "I'm going to talk to my men and see if we can sort this all out, out of the public eye."

"I'm not backing down." AJ told him bluntly. "I won't let anyone get away with doing something like that to me or any other woman for that matter."

"Why didn't you just go to Detective Brooks with this?" He asked. "Brooks is a very well liked and respected Detective himself. Had this really happened I would imagine he would have handled this himself. Do you see why I'm so doubtful of your story?"

"Phil saw me that night and I told him to stay out of it. My career means everything to me. I worked really hard to get where I am today and he knows and respects that. I also didn't want him in a bad position where it looked like he was turning on his brothers." She told him and Henderson nodded.

"That's very thoughtful of you." Henderson said giving her half a smile.

"Please don't approach me again." AJ said as she reached her townhouse and ran up the stairs with Larry.

* * *

"I hate this." AJ said running her finger over the scar on Punk's chest left from the bullet.

Both were covered in sweat after skipping dinner so they could fall into bed together.

"I think it makes me look badass." Punk stated proudly as he tried to catch his breath.

"Who is even going to see it but me?" She asked with a laugh sitting up and running her hands through her now damp hair.

"I take my shirt off a lot." Punk remarked smugly.

"Oh yea?" she laughed.

"At the gym, when I go running." He pointed out. "It did fuck with my chest tattoos though." he said looking down the best he could at the scar.

"Well, you can run here during your lunch to walk Larry because he took over, I hit so much traffic I couldn't even actually eat." She said laying back down next to him as she pulled the sheet up to cover her bare body.

"You didn't eat at all today?" He asked with a frown and she shook her head. "I'll cook you something." He said getting out of the bed and was standing completely naked in front of her.

"Cook naked." She requested with a smirk.

"I can do that." he said to her. "And walking him was a waste because when I got him there was shit and piss all over the living room."

"I'm not even sure he went." AJ told him. "I got distracted. I bumped into that Detective Henderson."

"You what?" Punk asked hoping he misheard.

"He was on the street and approached me." She shrugged and Punk eyed her.

"What did he do?" He asked.

"Nothing. He was actually nice to me. He just wanted to know what happened. I didn't want to discuss it with him and I made it very clear to him." She told him.

"I made it fucking clear to him not to come around you." Punk spat.

"You what?" She asked shooting up. "I asked you to stay out of it!"

"He showed up at my station and asked for me!" Punk yelled back. "I can't just ignore it! He got in my fucking face and made it very clear he was going to fight you tooth and nail so I really fucking hope you didn't slip up and say something to tank this."

"I'm not an idiot." She said annoyed.

"You should have called me. He shouldn't have come here." Punk said annoyed grabbing his sweats.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"To the station to report him harassing you." Punk told her.

"He didn't harass me. He was actually nice." She told him.

"That his fucking thing." Punk spat. "How did you not see through it?"  
AJ's phone began to ring and she reached over for it.

"Ape, do not answer that while we're-" He began but she rolled her eyes and answered the phones.

"Mendez." She answered and he shook his head in annoyance. "Really? Wow. No that's great. Thank you." She said then hung up. "That was my boss. Romano and Diaz both resigned tonight."

"What?" Punk asked and she nodded.

"I guess Detective Henderson believed me." She shrugged putting her phone down.

"Really?" He asked with a laugh.

"Why is this so hard to believe?" She asked. "Maybe Henderson isn't as bad as you've painted him out to be."

"Did he like charm you?" Punk asked amused and she laughed and lied back down.

"Shut up." She laughed and he walked to her side of the bed and stood over her.

"Did he hit on you?" He asked and now she laughed so hard she snorted and placed her hand over her mouth. "Ape!" he yelled.

"You are crazy." She said to him. "He didn't hit on me he just listened to me and I guess believed me."

"You didn't find that a little off?" He asked. "He approached me today about you and he wasn't so nice."

"And I would assume you flipped out." She noted. "Hey, I love you for that. I know you want to protect me and look out for me. Whether we were dating or not you'd do the same thing. But losing your cool wasn't going to help. Sometimes a cooler head prevailing actually works."

"I don't like it. Something is off." He said to her.

"Or something is finally going right for us." She said sitting up on her knees and letting the bed sheet fall off of her.

"I can't-" he began to argue but eyed her naked body. "I can't think when you're not dressed."

"Good." She smiled and laid back down. "Come back to bed."

"You need to eat." He said licking his lips.

"You need to eat." She challenged.

"Fuck." he said pulling his sweats back down.

"You're the only man for me." She said wrapping her arms around his neck as he crushed her body with his own. "Detective Henderson didn't hit on me and even if he did I would have slapped him with a complaint too." she teased.

"I'm afraid you're going to wake up one day and realize you could do better." He admitted.

"Not possible." She said shaking her head. "No one could ever love me like you do." she said kissing his lips.

"No one." he agreed pulling away from the kiss. "You need to watch your back, you know I'll already be watching it anyway. He gave up too quickly and it's weird and makes no sense."

"I'll watch my back." She smiled. "No more talking." she said pulling him into a kiss.


	22. Private Eyes

**Private Eyes**

* * *

Punk walked into the station house across town. It was unfamiliar and in a very good neighborhood, even the vibe was different.

"I suppose you're here to see me." Detective Henderson greeted Punk as soon as he walked in the door.

"How did you guess?" Punk mocked. "Why did you get your rookies to step down?"

"I believe Ms. Mendez." Henderson told him simply. "She seems like an honest woman."

"She is." Punk told him. "But you're not honest. So I can't help but wonder why you backed down from this?"

"It's a fight I didn't need. And I don't tolerate sexual assault. I do have standards." Henderson told him.

"Is that really it?" Punk asked amused.

"You're a very suspicious man." Henderson smiled. "What is it you think I'm really up to?"

"I don't know." Punk shrugged. "Maybe you're plotting against AJ, maybe you like her a little too much, maybe you're just a fucking psycho who likes messing with people's heads."

"I don't even know Ms. Mendez." Henderson chuckled. "Relax, I'm not looking to swoop in and take her from you."

"You could try." Punk challenged.

"I saw the light." Henderson told him simply.

"I don't believe you." Punk put it simply. "I want to know why the change of heart and what the fuck you're really up to."

"You're looking for something that isn't there." Henderson told him. "I have a lot of respect for not only you but Ms. Mendez. You both have been sworn to protect this City and I take that very seriously."

"Except you don't." Punk argued.

"You're wasting your time, Detective." Henderson said waving his hand. "Move on, I have and I'm sure Ms. Mendez does as well."

"Don't worry about Ms. Mendez." Punk scoffed. "Worry about yourself. Because even though you've claimed to have a change of heart, I didn't get my vengeance. I don't feel satisfied with them losing their jobs."

"I'm sorry to hear that. But that's something you have to work on. I'm sorry you feel insignificant because you fail to protect your friend." Henderson told him.

"She's a lot more than that and you know that." Punk said to him.

"I read into Ms. Mendez. This isn't the first time you let her down. I mean, it must be difficult to look at yourself in the mirror knowing you couldn't protect her from two dopey rookies or Devile." Henderson smirked.

"I locked him up." Punk reminded him.

"Not before he broke into your girls home and roughed her up first." Henderson pointed out. "And you were just shot. You took a bullet for the man who was cheating on Ms. Mendez but can't ever be there for her. Does it bother her as much as it bothers you?"

"I've been looking out for her since the day I met her which was about twenty five years ago. AJ doesn't need constant attention she's not like most women. She's strong and independent. We compliment each other nicely because where she doesn't envision those two rookies in prison- I do. She's happy knowing they're off the streets and unable to abuse their power, I am not." Punk informed him.

"She's smart. You are not." Henderson told him and Punk laughed a bit. "Let it go, Detective. Stay out of my business and out of this case before you make your girlfriend angry and yourself look like a fool."

"I'm keeping my eyes on you." Punk warned him.

"Is Ms. Mendez not the jealous type?" Henderson teased and Punk laughed and nodded.

"Just keep your own eyes open." Punk warned him then left.

* * *

AJ was at her office working on her computer when someone knocked on her door.

"I'm busy!" She yelled not even looking up from her screen.

"Even for me?" Jenny asked poking her head inside.

"Never for you." AJ smiled standing up and greeting Punk's mom with a hug.

"I was around the corner at an aerobics class and thought I'd stop in." Jenny smiled holding AJ's left hand and looking at it.

"What are you doing?" AJ asked with a laugh.

"Your hands feel cold." Jenny shrugged. "I also wanted to know if we could have an early Christmas celebration this year. I'm going to my sisters as I normally do but I still want to see you both and give you your gifts." Jenny told her.

"I'm sure we can set a night for dinner." AJ told her.

"What are you and Phil going to do on Christmas?" Jenny asked curiously. "You both are invited to my sisters."

"Oh, we were thinking something really quiet with just the two of us." AJ told her. "Putting together a gingerbread house, eating Chinese food and exchanging presents."

"Any idea what Phil is getting you?" Jenny asked innocently.

"He got me that mini Nintendo system. I found it last week in his closet. He's still the worst at hiding gifts." AJ laughed and Jenny frowned. "What?"

"Is that all he got you?" Jenny asked curiously.

"I would assume so." AJ smirked. "Why, what's wrong?"

"It's just you two are dating now I would assume he would have gotten you something a bit more serious." She shrugged.

"I really wanted this system." AJ told her seriously. "It's impossible to get too."

"Right." Jenny smiled. "I mean, he hasn't mentioned getting you anything else?"

"Mother." A voice greeted from behind her and Jenny froze but managed a nervous smile.

"Hi baby." Jenny greeted and kissed Punk's cheeks.

"My two favorite people are here." AJ smiled as Punk walked over and kissed her on the lips next.

"I want to take you to lunch." He told her.

"I really don't have the time." She sighed and he eyed her. "But eating is important and I'll make time." She recited as if she practiced it.

"That's my girl." Punk stated sarcastically.

"You can come too?" She asked Jenny who nodded. "I'll be right back I just have to drop these files off." She said then rushed out of the office.

"What are you doing?" Punk hissed.

"I gave you that ring weeks ago!" Jenny hissed back. "Where is it?"

"It's in my safe at home." He said to her.

"And you don't think she'll find it?" Jenny asked folding her arms.

"Of course not. It's my gun safe and she wants nothing to do with my guns." He told her. "Did you give it away that I'm proposing?"

"No! But when are you doing it? If it's Christmas I won't be here and I want to be here!" Jenny argued.

"Ma, I'm not doing it on Christmas. Christmas is weeks away." He told her.

"So, sooner?" Jenny asked hopefully.

"Maybe- I don't know." Punk said to her.

"Are you having second thoughts?" Jenny asked curiously.

"No I'm not but I want to do this the right way. I'm not just going to throw this ring at her." He whispered harshly.

"I'm not getting any younger, Phillip." Jenny reminded him and he rolled his eyes.

"This engagement is about us not you." Punk told her.

"Ok, so you're not getting any younger either." Jenny told him bluntly and he glared at her. "You're not! And I want a ton of grandchildren."

"I'm ready." AJ announced reaching for her jacket. "Where are you taking us?" she asked Punk.

"Anywhere you want." Punk said to them.

* * *

A week later it was almost midnight when AJ walked out of an interview room at the police station.

"You still here?" Cody asked her.

"I'm finally leaving." She said with an exhausted sigh. "Where's Phil?"

"He left hours ago." Cody shrugged and AJ frowned. "What? You wanted him to wait?"

"I mean, he usually does but I know he's been tired since being back." She said to him. "I normally yell at him for not leaving."

"I'm taking you home." Cody said standing up.

"No you're not, I'll take a cab." AJ laughed putting on her jacket.

"I have strict orders to take you directly home and if I don't Punk will beat my ass- direct quote from him." Cody said putting on his own jacket.

"Where's Maria?" AJ asked.

"Maria is working late which is why I'm killing time." Cody said to her as he walked her out of the station. "How's that case going?"

"My client is guilty so I'm trying to get him to take a plea deal." AJ said getting into his car.

"You still like working at the public defender office?" He asked curiously.

"Yea. It has really good days then there are days like this where I spend hours trying to help someone I know is wrong." She said to him. "It makes me question everything. It actually makes me question why I became a lawyer."

"Don't be like that." Cody laughed. "What would you do if you didn't go to law school?"

"I always wanted to be a wrestler." AJ teased. "But I'm too small."

"You're smart though." Cody told her. "I think that's important."

"I feel like I need a vacation." AJ sighed.

"You haven't had a break- well, ever." He noted. "And when Punk got shot you spent half your day taking care of him the other half catching up on work."

"Maybe I can talk Phil into taking me away." AJ grinned. "He hates planes but I want to go somewhere hot and lay on a beach for a week."

"I'm sure he'd get on a plane for that." Cody laughed.

"But he just got back to work." AJ groaned. "I guess I'll go myself."

"Yea, go yourself and he'll just follow you. He's like a lost puppy when you're not around." Cody told her.

"Really?" AJ asked with a slight smile.

"Even when you would go out of town with Bradford he would be so moody and bitchy. Then that big case you working a few months back and you stayed in a hotel with the lawyers to work the case he was so depressed." Cody said to her.

"He showed up there too." AJ laughed. "He said he didn't trust the lawyers with me. Sometimes I wonder if he trusts me at all."

"He trusts you with his life. He's just afraid you're going to realize you're ten times smarter than him and will marry off to a man who has a lot of money and a 9-5."

"He's crazy. Phil is brilliant." AJ said shaking her head then smiled a bit. "It is nice he values me. Bradford never cared."

"Bradford was sleeping around." Cody pointed out.

"Yea." AJ said to him. "I've always had a crush on Phil. I just kind of buried it because I assumed he saw me as a kid."

"Never." Cody laughed. "Well, here you are." He said pulling up outside of her townhouse.

"Are you going to watch me walk in?" She asked with a laugh.

"I gave my word to Punk." Cody shrugged.

"It's dark in there, he's already sleeping." She said climbing out of the car.

* * *

AJ walked inside and gasped when she the living room covered with candles and rose pedals.

"Phil!" AJ yelled out with a smile.

"How did I do?" Punk asked as he came down the stairs dressed in his best.

"You did amazing." She said unable to not smile. "I can't believe you did this! This is beautiful!"

"It wasn't easy, Larry kept sneezing and blowing out the candles." he said passing her a single red rose.

"Where is Larry?" AJ frowned looking around.

"I had to send him to Maria's so he wouldn't set himself on fire." He smirked and kissed her cheek.

"What's the occasion?" She asked in awe of him. "Is today an anniversary or something I forgot?"

"Nope. This is a belated thank you for taking such good care of me when I was shot." he told her.

"You never have to thank me for that." She said removing her jacket but still smiling.

"Still, I owe you something." He said to her. "Your favorite food is here too."

"Donuts?" She asked as she walked over to the kitchen table that also had candles and was filled with donuts. "This is exactly what I needed after such a long and shitty day."

"Rough case?" He asked as she reached for a donut.

"Some moron-" She stopped when she turned around and saw him on one knee.

"I don't mean to cut you off but I have this question I've been waiting to ask you for a while now." He said holding the ring out with a shaky hand. "Ape, there's no point in searching anymore. You're it. And we came from crazy homes where marriages didn't work but I know we are better. I want to do better. I want to call you my wife and grow old with you. I love you more than anything on this planet. I will be so good to you if you give me the chance. Ape, will you marry me?"

"Yes." She said as he stood up and she pulled him into a bruising kiss.

"The ring-" he began and she plucked it from his fingers and put it on her own hand. "Does it fit?"

"It's a bit loose. We'll have to get it sized." She said admiring it. "It's beautiful."

"It was my grandmothers-" He began.

"I know." She smiled looking up at him.

"My mom fucking told you!" He yelled.

"No!" She laughed. "Your mom didn't give it away at all. I'm very surprised. But I remember her having this ring and she showed it to me one night when I was little and over. I thought it was the prettiest ring I had ever seen. Then she told me how your grandfather helped make it for her and I thought it was so romantic."

"Oh." Punk said to her. "Do you really like it?"

"It's all I've ever wanted." She told him honestly and kissed him again. "Thank you."

"Thank YOU." He said to her. "I was nervous you'd turn me down."

"Stop doubting yourself." AJ said to him. "I love YOU. I'm not running off and no I can't do better than you. You're not just my best friend you're my soul mate. We were always going to grow old and gray together, now we get to do it as a couple and not just best friends."

"We'll always be best friends. That's most important." He warned her and she nodded in agreement.

"We're going to build our lives together." She smiled happily. "A family."

"Something we both didn't have growing up." He said to her.

"You really want me to be your wife?" She asked quietly but with a smile.

"More than I want to take my next breath." He smiled back at her. "You're it for me. No one gets me like you, I don't love and trust anyone like you. You're the end of the road for me."

"You had this planned out?" She asked out.

"I did. I had to ask before my mom spoiled it." He smirked. "I wasn't sure how to do it. I wanted it to be special-"

"It was." She assured him. "It was everything. Candles, flowers and donuts. You know the way to my heart."

"And I know you're off tomorrow-" He began leaning down to kiss her but she looked down at her ring and smiled.

"I have to call your mom." AJ announced.

"Ape." He groaned.

"And I do have to work tomorrow." She mumbled and he jerked his head.

"What? Ape, you've been working three weeks straight! You're going to work yourself into the ground." He argued following her into the kitchen.

"I know but I have a big case." She sighed. "I want to be here tomorrow to celebrate but I just can't."

"This weekend? Am I going to get to see you at all?" he asked.

"This weekend. I'm taking the entire weekend off." She promised him. "We can stay in or go away for the weekend."

"Go away?" He asked.

"I've been thinking I need a vacation." She told him.

"Babe, I can't take a week off right now I just got back." He said to her.

"So a short weekend?" She asked hopefully. "I hate my client and I want to just crawl into your arms for 48 hours straight."

"I'll switch my shifts around and take the weekend off." He promised wrapping his arms around her. "As long as you turn your phone off. I don't need you getting called in while I'm spending money on a room somewhere."

"It will be off and I will be all yours." She promised back.

"You're always all mine." Punk grinned and kissed her.

"I really want to call your mom." AJ said pulling away and Punk threw his head back. "I don't have parents to call and celebrate with so I'm going to celebrate with yours." she teased grabbing her phone.

"How about you celebrate with me...upstairs and naked?" He suggested taking the phone from her. "We'll call her in the morning I promise." He said to her.

"Ok." She said to him.

"Now I want to see you in nothing but that ring." He told her and she giggled and ran up the stairs.


	23. Gamble

**Gamble**

* * *

Punk was at his desk doing paperwork when Cody finally made it into work.

"I thought you were taking today off?" Cody asked sitting down. "You and AJ were going to celebrate unless she said no?" he asked nervously. "Did she say no?"

"No." Punk said looking up. "She said yes but no to the day off, she had to be in court this morning."

"That blows but congratulations." Cody grinned.

"Thanks." Punk had to smile.

"She surprised?" Cody asked.

"Yea, I think so." Punk said to him. "She loved the ring too."

"So, when's the big day?" Cody asked.

"A few months. We don't want anything big. Just my mom, you and Maria." Punk told him.

"What about Bonnie?" Cody asked and Punk laughed.

"She didn't even tell her mom when Bradford proposed she's not going to tell her about me." Punk said to him. "And that's for the best because I want the day to be special for Ape and Bonnie being there will make it all about herself and piss off AJ."

"But that's her only family." Cody argued.

"Ape doesn't want her involved so she won't be involved." Punk said simply.

"Are you like nervous?" Cody asked and Punk shook his head.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life. It's like we're already married, we're just making it legal and an excuse to take a two week long vacation." He smirked.

"Two week long honeymoon?" Cody asked and Punk nodded.

"Somewhere tropical. Maybe Hawaii." He told him. "I told Ape she can plan the whole wedding, she can pick out what I'm wearing, the wedding bands but I get to plan the honeymoon. I'm also taking her away for the weekend since she spoiled my plans for today which is why I am here."

"Well can you at least pick up Larry? He pissed on my shoes. Maria thinks he's great but he's not trained." Cody complained.

"Larry was probably scared being away from us." Punk said shaking his head. "Be sympathetic."

"Take him home." Cody argued.

"Do you live with Maria now?" Punk asked.

"No but I spend a lot of time there." Cody defended.

"Who do you think is going to watch Larry this weekend? Or when we go on our extended honeymoon?" Punk asked.

"Hey, Punk." A uniformed officer greeted walking over to him. "AJ was in court this morning?"

"Yea why?" Punk asked.

"Something went down at the courthouse. They said a perp assaulted an attorney, heard it was a PD." The officer told him and Punk's face fell and he grabbed his phone and tried to call AJ.

"Let's just go down to the courthouse." Cody said standing up.

"She's not answering." Punk groaned following Cody out.

* * *

Punk and Cody rushed down to the courthouse that was swarmed with police and EMT's. Punk ran towards the steps and saw a familiar uniformed watching the door.

"What happened?" Punk asked.

"Someone bought a gun in and shot it during a hearing." The officer told him.

"Which hearing? AJ is in there." Punk said to him and the officer looked confused. "My fiancee!" He yelled. "Was someone shot?"

"Yea-" The officer began.

"Phil?" A voice asked and Punk turned to see AJ and pulled her into a hug.

"You ok?" He asked.

"Yea. It was the craziest thing! I was just sitting there with my client and someone walked inside and shot off a gun. A court officer was shot in the arm." She told him.

"Who was the shooter?" Punk asked.

"I have no idea. But I swear to god he pointed the gun right at me and I thought I was going to die." She told him and he frowned.

"What?" Punk asked.

"Thankfully there was an officer in the gallery who shot him first." AJ sighed. "I think he killed him." She whispered.

"And you didn't recognize this guy? Maybe he was aiming for your client." Punk suggested.

"No. My client was on the ground hiding under the table and I was frozen in shock." AJ told him. "I just couldn't move."

"And this guy aimed his weapon at you?" Punk asked in a professional voice.

"Yes!" She said to him. "It was insane."

"What was your client in for? Maybe a relative of his victim?" Punk asked.

"My client was in for bad checks." She shrugged. "They weren't big checks either but he had a prior."

"Where's the officer who took the shot?" Punk asked looking around.

"It was that Detective." She told him and Punk shrugged.

"I know him?" Punk asked and she nodded.

"Henderson." She whispered.

"Really?" Punk asked almost amused and glanced over to the Detective who was talking to the media. "Why was he in your hearing?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "I'm just grateful."

"I bet." He noted and looked over to the Detective.

"You can't possibly be angry that he saved my life." She said in disbelief.

"I'm not." He said to her.

"That man would have shot him right in the chest or the head and you'd be identifying my body right now-" She began to argue and he groaned.

"Always with the dramatics." He said shaking his head. "Of course I'm happy he was there. I just want to know why he was there for a case about bad checks." he shrugged innocently.

"I have to go down to the station and give a statement." She explained to him. "I don't want to go alone."

"I should stay and help out with the scene." He said still looking at Henderson.

"Phil." She frowned and he looked down at her. "I was almost gunned down at work today and I really need my best friend."

"You're right." Punk forced out. "Did you get checked out?"

"Why would I get checked out?" She asked.

"Just to make sure your blood pressure is good." He shrugged walking her over to the EMT's.

"I don't need to be checked out." She argued.

"You do." He nodded. "Hey, she was inside when the shooting took place just look her over for me?" he requested and the EMT nodded. "I'll be right back." He said kissing AJ's forehead then scurried off and she shook her head as he rushed off.

"What happened?" Punk asked Henderson the second he stepped away from the media.

"I'm sure Ms. Mendez could fill you in." Henderson said to him.

"Why were you there?" Punk asked.

"Oh, you're welcome for saving your girlfriends life." Henderson smiled. "It was my honor and my job."

"Why were you there?" Punk repeated folding his arms.

"The hearing after that one was one of my cases. I was early." Henderson told him. "Do you think one of my rookies did this too?"

"It's possible." Punk shrugged. "I don't know or trust you."

"I saved Ms. Mendez's life." Henderson told him. "Some would say that saving the life of the woman you love means you're indebted."

"I have to get the station." AJ said walking over and pulling on Punk's arm. "I'm fine and I don't need to be checked out."

"Detective Brooks was just thanking me." Henderson smiled at AJ.

"I should hope so." AJ said shooting Punk a glare.

"He said he's indebted to me." Henderson smiled at AJ. "I'm glad to see you're alright."

"Thank you." AJ said to him. "Could you give me a ride back to the police station? Detective Brooks seems to be more interested in the crime scene."

"Absolutely." Henderson said to her and Punk gently grabbed AJ by the arm and lead her over to his car.

"That was cute." Punk remarked sarcastically opening the car door for her.

"You're so interested in him I didn't think you'd mind me spending time with him." She scoffed getting in the car.

"My interest is you, it's always you." He said climbing into the drivers seat. "I want to know what his interest is."

"Did you ever think he's interested in me at all?" She asked curiously.

"I don't know what to think which is why I was asking questions." Punk responded.

"I think it's you." AJ said looking at him as he began to drive.

"What's me?" He asked. "Don't say I'm making this shit up in my head because I've been a cop for a long time, Ape and I know when something doesn't add up or seem right." he began to argue.

"No. I think he's interested in you as in pissing you off." She said to him. "You two work the same job but in different places and there's a rivalry."

"There's no rivalry. I want nothing to do with him. He's the one who keeps showing up." He argued childishly.

"Are you so riled up from him that you don't care that I was almost murdered in open court?" She asked him and he frowned.

"Of course I care. I want to know who and why and that's why I wanted to talk to Henderson." Punk explained and she nodded. "Are you really ok?"

"Yes." She said to him looking straight ahead. "I was scared though. I don't know how you stare down the barrel of a gun everyday."

"I don't get into shoot outs everyday at work." Punk teased. "But you're an attorney you shouldn't ever be involved in something like that. I just want to figure out what happened."

"I really don't know." She sighed shaking her head. "It all happened so fast. One second I was arguing with the judge and the next thing there were shots. It was insane."

"Just try to remember as much as you can and not just during but right before. Because sometimes that's the biggest clues." Punk told her and she nodded.

"I have to get back to the office after this." She told him and he laughed.

"No, Ape." He said amused and she narrowed her eyes at him. "You're going to give your statement and go home and rest."

"My cases don't just stop." She reminded him.

"Today they do." he responded simply. "Take a little time and relax."

"I was afraid I was going to die before you had a chance to love me forever." She teased.

"Ape, getting married isn't about loving you forever- I'll love you forever regardless." He smirked looking at her briefly.

"I know." She smiled a bit. "But I really think you should thank Henderson."

"I will. As soon as I figure out what the hell happened." He shrugged. "Question everything or die a sheep." he repeated and she sighed.

"I don't want you going to war with a dangerous detective to prove some point to me." She said to him.

"I'm not trying to prove a point to you I'm trying to protect you and I will ALWAYS protect you whether you like it or not." He reminded her.

"You don't truly believe he asked someone to pretend to shoot me all because of why? I got mixed up with his rookies?" She asked.

"I don't know, Ape." He sighed. "I really don't but I am going to look into it."

* * *

After giving her statement to the police Punk took her home and was in the process of running her a hot bath but while the water was running the fear of losing her got to be too much and she was pressed against the bathroom wall with her legs dangling on the sides of his body as he pierced her body over and over again. Her shit was still on and was his but they were nude and connected from the waist down.

"Just like that." AJ moaned as her back rubbed against the bathroom tile and her fingernails dug into his shoulders.

Punk being shot didn't slow him down in this aspect. He loved being inside of her body, it was his favorite place. He was buried to the hilt and he was relentless with the pressure and power of his thrusts. He needed her to know she couldn't just leave him. She couldn't go off to work and almost die ever again. She thought she was lost when he was shot, he wasn't sure he'd last sixty seconds in a world that she wasn't part of.

"Fuck." AJ literally cried as the pleasure ripped through her body and then Punk joined her as he poured into her welcoming body.

"You ok?" he asked and she nodded as she wrapped her legs around his waist and arms around his neck and buried her face into his neck next.

"So good." She moaned as he carried her across the bathroom and sat her on the sink and removed her top finally.

"I'm not talking about the sex." He said eyeing her and she gave him a light smile.

"I'm really ok." She assured him cupping his face gently and giving him a tender kiss.

AJ climbed off the sink and practically limped over to the bath and turned off the water and climbed in.

"What do you want to eat?" He asked sitting on the edge of the stone marble tub.

"I'm not hungry." She sighed happily as he ran his fingers over her face and cupped it.

"You have to eat." He warned her. "Anything. I'll run and get you donuts or a burger."

"I don't want you to leave. Stay here with me." She requested.

"We can't stay in here forever." He teased.

"Wouldn't it be nice?" She asked cutely. "You, me and Larry just living in here forever."

"I think you and I would kill each other." He laughed.

"I'd kill you." She snorted a laugh. "You love me too much to kill me even though I drive you crazy."

"That is-" He began to agree then narrowed his eyes at her. "You don't love me enough to not kill me?"

"I mean, you make me angry sometimes." She teased with a grin.

"Now I'm scared." He said seriously and she let out a laugh.

The doorbell rang and Punk sighed a bit. He really just wanted to get AJ settled and lay around with her all day but clearly the universe had other ideas.

"I'll be right back." He said standing up.

* * *

Punk opened the front door and was stunned to see the familiar woman outside.

"Well, where is she?" Bonnie asked walking inside freely.

"She's in the bath." Punk said closing the door. "Now isn't a good time."

"Now is the time. Why did I have to hear it from your cousin's friend that my daughter is engaged to be married?" Bonnie asked placing her hands on her hips. "Why wasn't I called?"

"I don't know why AJ wouldn't call you." Punk shrugged.

"Is she embarrassed because this is her second engagement in two years?" Bonnie asked.

"No." Punk laughed.

"Did you get her pregnant?" Bonnie asked and Punk tried not to laugh again.

"No. Not yet anyway." He added with a wink.

"This isn't funny." Bonnie said to him and he laughed again.

"What do you want me to say? She's an adult and didn't want to tell you." Punk shrugged.

"I'm still her mother." Bonnie said looking around their living room. "You two live very well for city employees."

"Your daughter is a brilliant lawyer." Punk reminded her. "I'm a pretty decent Detective myself, not to brag."

"When is the wedding?" Bonnie asked and Punk just shrugged. "You're as chatty as usual." she scoffed. "Could you get my daughter?"

"I already told you she's in the bath and she's relaxing." Punk explained. "She had a bad day."

"Is it because she's having regrets already?" Bonnie asked him.

"No it's not." Punk responded still amused. Bonnie was from another planet and it always made Punk laugh.

"April isn't one to settle down." Bonnie warned him. "She jumps from guy to guy-"

"I'm going to stop you right there." Punk warned her. "Your daughter is one of the best I have ever met. I won't let you badmouth her in her own home."

"She's cold." Bonnie warned him. "She is so cold to me-"

"You've abandoned your daughter her entire life." Punk reasoned calmly. "You haven't been there for one major moment of her life. Her prom, her high school graduation, her college graduation, when she passed the bar, her first job-"

"I get it." Bonnie said cutting him off. "But I'm a person too. I was left with her and had to have my own life."

"You could have incorporated AJ in it." Punk said to her. "I don't want you upsetting her."

"How do you think I feel? Why is it no one ever takes my feelings into account?" She asked him.

"Because my attention is on Ape, it always has been." Punk said to her.

"I mean, is she not going to invite me?" Bonnie asked sitting on the couch. "I'm no the perfect mother but I should be there."

"She probably thinks you wouldn't want to come. You've never wanted to be there for anything else." Punk told her.

"What about children?" She asked.

"Excuse me?" Punk asked.

"I'm sure you two plan on children, am I not going to be part of their lives?" Bonnie asked offended.

"AJ probably assumes since you didn't want to be a mother you wouldn't want to be a grandmother." Punk shrugged.

"That's not fair." Bonnie said to her. "I'd love to be at the wedding but I can't exactly afford a new dress or to get my hair done. Maybe my daughter is ashamed of me."

"She probably is." Punk agreed surprising her. "But not because of your money situation. Ape and I make a very nice living and could afford to get you a dress but it's the whole abandoning her thing that shames her."

"Could you at least tell her I dropped by? I'll be in town for a while." Bonnie said standing up and rushing right out the door.

* * *

Punk walked into the bathroom and saw AJ smiling to herself in the bath.

"She leave?" AJ asked.

"She did." Punk nodded. "You heard her?"

"Heard the whole thing." AJ sighed. "I'm not going to let Bonnie rain on my parade."

"What are you going to do about her? She seems to want to come to the wedding." Punk noted.

"You heard her. She wants a new dress and probably a free meal." AJ said to him. "I'll talk to her in a few days, I don't have that kind of energy today."

"Do whatever you want." Punk said to her. "She doesn't have to be there."

"I know." She said quietly. "She was such a shit mom."

"Was it really all bad?" Punk asked.

"Not always." AJ had to admit. "She did beat the crap out of her boyfriend for me once."

"Not the one who used to walk in on you getting dressed or when you were in the shower, pretty sure I beat the crap out of him." Punk stated proudly.

"No you didn't, Jenny did." AJ laughed. "You wanted to though. She was dating this guy she met from her favorite bar. I think he was the bartender." she said remembering. "And one night she was in her room sleeping off her hangover and I had to be about seven or eight and was running around and he kept telling me to stop because he had a headache and he slapped me."

"He what?" Punk asked.

"Slapped me in the face. Hurt so bad." AJ remembered. "Bonnie sucked but she never hit me, I've never been hit before. Bonnie woke up when she heard it and she came out with a bat and started swinging at him. I think that was the first and last time I felt like she truly loved me."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Punk asked with a frown.

"Oh my god Phil I was a baby practically." She laughed. "And you were only 13 or so, what could you have done?"

"Something." He defended.

"It wasn't a big deal, I never saw him again." She said to Punk. "And like I said, as scary as that memory is to me its the best one of Bonnie I have."

"That makes me really sad." Punk admitted.

"I'm afraid we have children I'm going to be like Bonnie." AJ admitted.

"Impossible." Punk laughed. "You're nothing like her."

"What if I put my career before my children?" She asked him.

"You won't. You don't even put your career before me." He pointed out. "You won't make Bonnie's mistakes."

"We'll see." She said then looked over to him. "Why are you just watching me?"

"I like watching you." He smirked. "I had a scary day today."

"Did you?" She teased and he nodded.

"Someone pointed a gun at my other half and it's really starting to hit me." He told her. "One wrong move and my life would have been over."

"You'd mourn a few weeks and then meet a nice rebound blonde." She teased.

"That's not funny." he said seriously. "It would be at least a few months." he teased back and she laughed. "I wouldn't go on without you."

"Don't say that." She sighed.

"I mean it." He told her. "I know how you felt now when I was shot."

"That's a tad different. I wasn't actually shot." She pointed out.

"It's still scary." Punk said to her.

"Well, lucky for you I lived and will live long enough to annoy you every single day for the rest of your life." She grinned proudly.

"I'm looking forward to it." He told her.

"Can I ask you a question?" She asked him.

"Yes." He smirked as he began to clean up around the bathroom.

"How do you feel about gambling?" She asked him and he laughed.

"I'm not much of a gambler, you know this." he said picking up their discarded clothes from earlier.

"What if I wanted to take a gamble on something really big?" She questioned and that caught his attention.

"What is it?" He asked.

"It's my job." She said to him and he nodded. "If I do what I've been wanting to do since I was a little girl then it could tighten our financial situation. I mean obviously I have savings."

"You're going to follow your dreams of being a WWF wrestler?" He asked and she laughed.

"It's WWE now and no." She said amused. "I want to open my own firm."

"Do it." he said simply.

"It's not that simple to do Phil." She warned him. "I could literally make no money."

"Would you be happy though? This is what you've always wanted to do, right?" he asked.

"Yes." She told him.

"So it's not even a debate." He shrugged. "We have a big savings account we'll be fine."

"But what if its truly the worst thing I could have ever decided to do?" She asked him. "And we run through our savings and you get hurt again and can't work and then we have six kids and a mortgage and we can't afford diapers-"

"Woah." He laughed. "Six kids?"

"You know what I mean." She said to him. "It could be really stupid."

"Or it could be amazing." He countered. "You'll never know if you don't try."

"Are you really sure?" She asked skeptically. "This will take up a lot of my time and energy and again, hurt us with money."

"So we cut back on a few things." He shrugged. "This is your career and I want you to be happy and enjoy waking up and going to work like I do. Also, I have complete and total faith in you."

"You do?" She asked and he nodded.

"Do it." He told her.

"It just seems like shitty timing since we're about to get married." She said to him.

"If I recall we're planning on a small wedding." He said to her.

"We are." She smiled.

"Maybe instead of a two week honeymoon we only take one." He shrugged. "It won't stop or slow us down."

"If it's a bust I'm sure I could always go back to working for Bradford or-" She began.

"Don't think about what you'll do if you fail think about how we'll celebrate when you succeed." He said to her and she smiled.

"Have I told you lately I love you?" She asked seriously.

"You can show me." He suggested innocently.

"Help me out of this bath and pin me against that wall again and I'll gladly show you." She said.

"I mean, if you insist." He said pulling her out of the tub.


	24. Memory Lane

**Memory Lane**

* * *

Three months had gone by and AJ was just about to start up her own firm. Punk was secretly happy to see her not working for the public defenders office anymore. She rented out a small studio downtown that was literally one big room and a bathroom since that's all she wanted to spend on that at the moment. Finding clients wasn't as easy as she thought it would be. She was sitting in her office setting up her desk when the door opened and she looked over and hoped it was a potential client.

"There's my girl." Punk grinned holding a plant.

"Hey." She sighed putting on a smile and he looked around the office.

"It's cute." He said putting the plant on her desk and kissed her hello.

"It's empty." She sighed.

"You didn't even open yet." He shrugged.

"I have a bad feeling." She said nervously.

"Babe, you didn't even start yet." Punk laughed. "You're not starting until after the wedding."

"The wedding is tomorrow." She reminded him with a smirk.

"I know which is why I'm here because I want to make sure you make it to the wedding. Shouldn't you be doing fun girly things?" he asked.

"Like what?" She asked.

"Getting your nails done?" He asked and she held her hand up to show off her freshly manicured nails. "Getting your dress?"

"It's been at Maria's for weeks." She shrugged.

"Relaxing?" he asked.

"I can't relax. This has me so nervous." She admitted.

"Our wedding?" He asked.

"No! This firm that's basically a basement." She said to him. "You're marrying a moron."

"I am not." He said shaking his head. "I'm proud of you. All the greats start out this way." He told her. "I do wish you picked a place in a nicer part of town." He said peering out the window.

"We grew up down the block from here." She reminded him.

"Yea and it's gone downhill." He told her.

"I'll be fine. Don't you ever get tired of worrying about me?" She asked him.

"Nope." He smirked. "It's why you love me."

"I love you in spite of it actually." She joked.

"First time I ever worried about you..." He trailed off.

"Taking a trip down memory lane?" She asked.

"You were fifteen and out at the concert in the park with-" he began.

"Daniel Jennings." She finished for him. "You hated him."

"He was one of my best friends." Punk defended.

"So what? You didn't want me like that when I was a kid." She shrugged sitting on her large and empty desk.

"No but he was closer to my age. He was 18." Punk said to her. "He had no business being out with you."

* * *

 _Punk was hanging out with a small group at the Rancid concert in the park. It was still another hour before the band was to go on so he was sitting on the picnic table with his group being obnoxious as most 20 year olds were at his age._

" _Hey." Daniel Jennings greeted walking over._

" _Finally." Punk scoffed. "We've been waiting for you for an hour."_

" _I don't have time I need a condom." He said to Punk who eyed him._

" _Do I look like a drug store?" Punk asked with a laugh._

" _Come on man." Daniel said eagerly looking behind his back. "I want to get this over with before the concert."_

 _"I've only got one on me and it's my emergency one." Punk said to him._

" _Dude." Daniel said to him._

" _Here." Another friend said passing him one. "Where are you going?"_

 _"My car." Daniel laughed._

" _How much are you paying her?" another friend asked with a laugh._

" _Ah, this one is young and eager." Daniel informed them._

" _Poor girl." Punk laughed._

" _There you are." AJ greeted walking over._

" _Since when are you a Rancid fan, Ape?" Punk asked amused. "If you would have told me you were coming I would have waited."_

 _"I'm not here for you." She said with a roll of her eyes._

" _She's my date." Daniel smiled slinging his arm around her and Punk's face dropped._

" _Damn dude." the one who gave Daniel the condom said shaking his head._

 _It was no secret Punk and AJ were not only friends, but Punk looked out for her like she was family._

" _I thought you were getting us some sodas?" AJ asked him._

" _I have some in my car." Daniel said. "See you guys later." he said then turned around with his arm still around AJ._

 _Daniel was yanked back by the collar of his shirt and had to release AJ._

" _Phil." AJ scolded._

" _I have to talk to him." Punk said to her. "Give us a minute."_

 _"Well, what am I supposed to do?" She asked placing her hands on her hips._

" _Maria is over there. Go say hi." He pointed across the park and AJ walked off._

" _What are you doing?" Daniel asked as Punk pulled the condom out of his jacket pocket._

" _What the fuck are YOU doing?" Punk hissed. "She's fifteen! She's a baby!"_

 _"She's not, she's all woman." Daniel said and Punk cringed._

 _"Fifteen. It's illegal even!" Punk argued._

" _It's a three year difference." Daniel scoffed. "Besides her mom doesn't give a shit."_

 _"I give a shit." Punk said to him. "You're not fucking my virgin friend in the backseat of your shit car. You shouldn't have even asked her out."_

 _"What's the big deal?" Daniel asked._

" _Are you shitting me right now?" Punk asked in disbelief. "AJ is like my little sister, go get her and tell her you two are hanging with us for the show and don't worry about taking her home because I will."_

 _"Dude, come on." Daniel groaned. "I need to get laid-"_

 _"You're going to get a fist down your fucking throat instead." Punk threatened and Daniel nodded nervously._

" _I'll go get her." Daniel said to him._

" _Fucking idiot." Punk spat as Daniel walked away._

" _Gotta give him credit for trying." One of Punk's friends chimed in._

" _No I really fucking don't." Punk said sitting back down as AJ and Daniel walked back over._

 _All the seats at the table were occupied and Punk waved her over and stood up._

" _Sit here." he told her._

" _Thanks." She smiled sitting down and shivered._

" _Give her your fucking jacket." Punk said to Daniel._

" _It's cold." Daniel said to him and Punk rolled his eyes and removed his own hoodie._

" _Here, Ape." He said placing it around her shoulders._

* * *

"I only agreed to go to that concert because I knew you'd be there. I was a kid but hoped to make you jealous." AJ smiled at the memory. "It worked."

"I wasn't jealous." Punk defended. "I meant what I said to him, you were just a baby. I was protecting you."

"It is weird you thought of me like family and this time tomorrow we'll be married." She smiled.

"I think we were always destined to be together." He said to her. "I think seeing you like family when you got older is what kept me from pursuing you when you were with Bradford and those other losers. I was conflicted."

"So I guess me throwing myself at you naked when me and Bradford broke up really confused you." She teased.

"For about thirty seconds." He smirked. "You're not a kid anymore and you grew up into this beautiful smart sexy woman."

"Sexy?" She asked blushing.

"Oh, yea." He nodded wrapping his arms around her. "Can we go home now? I want to spend the night before my wedding inside my new bride."

"I'm sleeping at Maria's." AJ said to him and his face dropped.

"Excuse me?" Punk asked and AJ had to laugh at how angry he truly was at that.

"It's bad luck and before you say luck is for loser it's also tradition." She reminded him proudly. "Also, Maria has the hair and makeup people meeting us at her place in the morning."

"What am I supposed to do all night?" He asked.

"Your bachelor party." She laughed.

"No." he said to her.

"But I planned it." She smiled.

"You planned my bachelor party?" He asked with a laugh.

"With Cody." She told him. "You're going to a game with the guys then out for burgers or something."

"And what will you be doing?" He asked.

"Maria and I are going out for a few glasses of wine and then we're going for late night massages." She said to him.

"I'd rather go for the massage." He said annoyed.

"No. You go play with the boys." She said kissing him.

"I'd much rather play with you." He whispered into her ear. "You want me to play with you?" he asked gripping onto her backside and her cheeks turned red.

"Phil." She moaned.

"Baby." He replied mocking her whiny voice. "Let me play with you."

"Oh, no." Maria said walking inside and pulling them apart. "I knew you would show up here. Go away."

"I'm not leaving either of you here." Punk said to her. "I'll drive you both home."

"My car is outside and so is Cody waiting for you." Maria told him. "Its the eve of your wedding you can spend one night apart."

"I don't want to." Punk said to Maria honestly.

"You have to. I have a whole evening planned." Maria told him. "Strippers and drinking out of penis straws."

"Don't run off with a stripper." He warned AJ who laughed.

"I'll try not to." She teased and he gave her another kiss.

"Its enough." Maria said pulling AJ away.

* * *

AJ was laying down as she was getting the massage of her life and couldn't help but take her own trip down memory lane...

" _What are you doing here?" AJ asked Punk who was standing outside her door to the apartment she shared with Bradford._

" _You're marrying him?" Punk asked who was soaked from the rain._

" _Phil." She sighed sadly._

" _Why didn't you tell me? Why did I have to read it in the paper?" He asked._

" _Come in, you're soaked." She said pulling him into the apartment._

" _Where is he?" Punk asked._

" _He's at the office working late." She said opening the closet and pulling a towel out._

" _Why are you marrying him?" Punk asked her. "He's not for you."_

 _"Don't say that." She said running the towel over his wet hair. "I need your support. You're my family."_

 _"If I was your family you would have told me you were engaged. Is this how it's going to be now? You marry Bradford and our friendship is over?" He asked._

" _Of course not." She said shaking her head. "I was scared to tell you."_

 _"Why?" he asked._

" _Why? Because you hate him." She sighed as he snatched the towel from her._

" _I don't hate him. I just don't think he's good enough for you." Punk said simply._

" _Who is good enough for me? Because in your eyes no one is." She said to him._

" _I don't know, Ape." he shrugged. "You're young give yourself a chance to see if something better is out there."_

" _Bradford loves me." She explained._

" _Do you love him?" He asked._

" _Of course." She said to him._

 _"I've never heard you say it. Did you just say yes so you could prove a point to Bonnie that you're stable? Or you just felt bad saying no? Maybe you thought Bradford would fuck with your career." He suggested._

" _No." She said shaking her head. "We're going to get married and I need you there."_

 _"But do you truly love him?" He asked her._

" _Yes." She said looking Punk in the eye._

" _Yes what?" He asked and she glared at him. "You can't even say it to me. You're wasting your life."_

" _You have no right." She said shaking her head in disbelief._

" _I have every right!" He yelled in her face. "I've been there for you since day one! And I didn't even justify a phone call!"_

" _You are so dramatic!" She yelled back. "That's why I didn't tell you! You are jealous because I've depended on you my entire life and now I have a good man who loves and protects me! You can't stand the fact that I'm moving on and you're still stuck!"_

 _"I maybe stuck but I'm happy." He grinned smugly. "I don't need to get married to prove shit to anyone. It's not a publicity stunt I need for my career!"_

 _"How dare you!" She yelled pointing at him._

" _That's what this truly is, isn't it? The DA marries the ADA and suddenly everyone is paying attention to you and your career, attention you would have never gotten before!" He shouted._

" _Keep your voice down." She hissed. "We have neighbors."_

" _You have a phony life and that Bradford is too squeaky clean so be prepared." He warned her._

" _He's a good man. You just don't like him because I like him." She spat._

" _Oh, yea that's it." Punk mocked. "I have no problem with you dating anyone unless I think it's a shit idea."_

 _"You think every relationship I've ever been in was a bad idea." She reminded him. "You just want me to be miserable."_

" _Yup you figured me out." He mocked. "Enjoy your life." he said then walked out the door._

 _A second later AJ ran to the door and Punk was still standing outside._

" _I'm sorry." he said quietly and she threw her arms around his damp body. "I love you and I want you to be happy that's all."_

 _"I love you too." She said hugging him. "You're my best friend, you're the most important man in my life no matter what."_

" _I just wanted a phone call." He said to her._

" _I'm sorry." She said pulling away. "Forgive me?"_

 _"Don't I always?" he asked with a weak smile._

* * *

AJ couldn't get that night out of her head and as soon as Maria fell asleep she headed over to her house she shared with Punk. She opened the door and saw Cody sleeping on the couch.

"Chicago's finest." AJ whispered under breath and petted Larry as he ran over to greet her next.

She tiptoed up the stairs and saw Punk sleeping in bed and crawled into the bed.

"Hi." She whispered looking at his face and he opened his eyes a bit.

"What are you doing here?" he asked tiredly.

"I couldn't stop thinking about that night you came to mine and Bradford's apartment." She told him. "When you found out we were engaged."

"I was upset." He said waking up a bit more.

"Why?" She asked.

"Why? On the eve of our wedding you need me to tell you why that would bother me?" he asked her.

"I love you." She said kissing him deeply. "I'm sorry I hurt you that night."

"I'm not." he told her. "Everything that happened lead us to this moment."

"You think so?" she asked and he nodded.

"I love you, Ape. I've loved you for a very long time." He told her. "Sometimes it fucking hurt but it's always been worth it. You've always been worth it."

"That night I couldn't tell you I loved Bradford." She said to him.

"I noticed." He said giving her half a smile.

"But I had no problem saying I loved you." She reminded him.

"I noticed that as well." he added almost smugly.

"You've always been my guy, you get that right?" She asked.

"Yea, Ape." He smirked kissing the tip of her nose.

"I can't wait to marry you." She whispered as he kissed her.

"A few more hours." He noted.

"I have to get back." She told him sitting up and he gently pulled her back down.

"You're already here and it's late. You know I'm not going to let you go across town alone, I'm going to have to get dressed and take you. Let's save each other some sleep and agree that you'll sleep here with me tonight and then you can go back to Maria's in the morning." He said to her.

"Ok." She said giving in but he didn't have to twist her arm. She wanted him tonight.

AJ kissed him and wrapped her arms around him as she rolled on top of his body. They were going to start the wedding night in the morning and they were ok with that...


	25. Dire Warnings

**Dire Warnings**

* * *

A week later AJ was prepared to open her firm. She unlocked the doors on her first day and was still living on the high of her wedding and honeymoon. The wedding was small, Jenny and some of Punk's aunts and cousins, Maria, Cody and AJ even gave in and allowed Bonnie to attend. It was small and at home but it was perfect for them. They took off for their honeymoon and were only back yesterday.

Although she was sad the honeymoon was over she was anxious to get to work. She didn't have any clients yet but Punk spent a lot of their time off pumping her head up and telling her how great she would be at this. She nearly jumped out of her skin with excitement when she heard her office door open.

"Hi! Welcome-" She paused when she knew she recognized the man. "Mr. Brooks." AJ greeted warmly to Punk's father.

"April." Mike smiled and passed her flowers. "I heard you and my son got married. I wanted to give you these."

"Thank you." AJ smiled accepting. "They're beautiful." AJ placed the flowers on her desk and looked over her shoulder at him. "I'm sorry you didn't get an invite but the wedding was really small."

"I didn't expect an invite." Mike chuckled lightly. "That's not why I'm here."

"Oh, do you need a lawyer?" She asked proudly. "I'll give you the daughter in law discount which is free." She smiled.

"No, not here for legal services either." Mike smiled a bit. "I'm here about the Calderon family."

"Oh, what about them? They're not giving Phil or Bradford anymore trouble." AJ said folding her arms concerned.

"They might be planning it." Mike warned her. "They still come to my place and my night manager heard them talking about the cop they shot."

"What were they saying?" AJ asked worriedly.

"They were saying that they couldn't believe he didn't die." Mike told her. "And that they weren't done with him yet. They'd hit him where it hurts."

"What is that supposed to mean?" AJ asked terrified.

"I don't know. But I wanted to let him know but I know he won't want to see me." Mike told her.

"No, thank you for telling me." AJ said sincerely. "Is there anything else?"

"He didn't want to look obvious listening. That's all he heard." Mike told her and AJ nodded and felt her stomach turn.

"It's just they've been so quiet. Not a peep from any of them." AJ told Mike. "Why start up again?"

"Maybe they never stopped." Mike suggested with a shrug. "I don't really know and I know he wanted me to stay out of it but I can't ignore this."

"Ignore it." AJ insisted. "These men are so dangerous and not worth your life."

"He's my son." Mike reminded her. "Whether he likes it or not. I'm going to protect him."

"I'll talk to him and he'll know exactly what to do." AJ assured him. "He always knows what to do."

"They're very dangerous men." Mike reminded her. "They don't like cops and they really don't like cops who stick their noses into their business."

"This is my fault." AJ told Mike. "Bradford went to Phil because he knew Phil would help me for me. Then they broke in that night last year and threatened me and it just pissed Phil off more-"

"Phil has loved you his entire life." Mike informed her with a smirk. "Involving you was their mistake, not yours."

"He would have told me if something was going on with them." AJ said shaking her head. "He has no idea, I have to tell him."

"That's what I was hoping you'd do." Mike said to her. "And congratulations again."

"Thank you Mr. Brooks." AJ said walking him to the door.

"Please, call me Mike." He said to her. "I know he's not interested in getting to know me again or meeting his siblings-"

"He is." AJ told him. "At least about the siblings, he always asks about them to Jenny because she does still talk to you. Give him some time."

"I've got nothing but." Mike smirked and walked out of her office.

* * *

"What part of it's an emergency do you not understand?" AJ asked the uniformed officer who was sitting behind his desk.

"I already explained to you, Ms, Mendez-" He began and AJ cut him off.

"It's Brooks. Mrs. Mendez-Brooks. Brooks is my HUSBAND'S name. And my husband would want to be notified immediately if I showed up here with an emergency. His phone is off and I can't reach him." She told him annoyed.

"His in the middle of a raid. I can't just pull him out unless it's an emergency." He said to her and she glared at him.

"I just told you it's an emergency!" AJ yelled.

"You're standing here walking and talking without any sign of injury, you seem fine to me." He said with a forced smiled and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'll just go find him myself." AJ announced.

"Please, AJ." The officer groaned in annoyance now.

"I'm no longer Ms. Mendez?" AJ mocked.

"We've known each other a long time and I know you're being dramatic-" he began.

"I am not dramatic!" AJ defended.

"You are and this goes back before you were even dating him." The officer sighed. "Please just sit down."

"He could be in danger." AJ told him quietly.

"He's with a team of officers. He's fine." The officer told her. "I'll have him call you as soon as he gets back."

"You don't seem to understand this is a matter of life and death." AJ argued.

"What's life or death?" Punk asked behind her and AJ threw her arms around him. "I got all forty of your messages and ran out, what happened? Are you ok?" he asked pulling away.

"Dramatic." The officer mumbled under his breath.

"Phil." AJ said pulling him to the side. "You're in danger."

"Care to specify?" He asked her.

"Your father came to see me and told me the Calderon family are still going to his place and are discussing you-" She began.

"My father came to see you?" Punk asked angrily.

"That's not the point." AJ said shaking her head. "What he said was that Calderon said he wasn't done with you yet and would hit you where it hurts. He's going to try to kill you again!"

"Relax." Punk said walking her over to her desk and easing her into his seat.

"I can't relax." She said to him. "A very dangerous crime family is pissed at you. They've broken into our home before, they've shot you!"

"They're just talking big because they keep coming up short." Punk told her. "They know that my dad owns that place and they're just trying to scare him in hopes it will scare me."

"It scares me." She whispered and he had to laugh.

"Babe, it's fine." he told her. "Mike shouldn't have come to you with this to begin with."

"He's scared for you." AJ told him. "I don't blame him."

"No. He heard I got married and is trying to butt in." He told her. "Don't fall for it. I wouldn't be surprised if he made this shit up just to have a reason to talk to you."

"He wouldn't do that." AJ said to him.

"You don't know him." Punk reminded her. "Stop worrying about this. Go back to work."

"I can't just work knowing a dangerous crime family is out to get you." She said to him.

"You have to." He said simply. "Stop letting Mike get into your head. He wanted you to come down here to talk to me so I would be forced to contact him."

"You're wrong." AJ said to him. "He was being honest, I can tell! And there were a lot of easier ways to speak to you."

"Ape, please I have work to do. I ran out today thinking something was wrong with you." He said annoyed. "I'll talk to Mike."

"No you won't. I can tell when you're lying." She said to him. "That's fine. I'll take care of this." she told him and stood up and walked away.

Punk shook his head and sat down in his seat and that's when it hit him- what did she mean she'll take care of this? He jumped out of his seat and saw her walking out the station door and ran out after her.

"Ape!" He yelled jogging down the station steps and grabbing her arm. "What the hell did you mean by that?"

"I mean I'll go to your fathers place and talk to them." AJ told him and he glared at her.

"No you will not. You're a smart woman you know you don't just go and sit down with criminals and hope to reach a compromise." He said to her.

"You don't tell me what to do." AJ argued. "They seemed to like me when they were in the house! Maybe I can reason with them."

"Of course they liked you, you were wearing a bra and thong!" He yelled. "They put a goddamn knife to your throat. You stay the hell out of this. We've argued about this before, you leave the policing to me."

"You are going to ignore a threat because you don't want to think your father doesn't have awful intentions!" She yelled back.

"I'll look into it. ME, not you." He told her harshly. "You are an attorney, if I need a lawyer- I'll call you." he mocked.

"I'm also your wife." She scoffed.

"So go be a wife and sit at home and wait for me." He snapped and her eyes widened and he instantly regretted his words. He wasn't sexist but he did want to piss her off so much she would just go home. "Ape-"

"That is the most sexist thing I have ever heard you say." She said to him coldly.

"I didn't mean that- I just want you to go home and stay out of this." He said in a softer voice. "I promise I will look into this."

"I don't believe you." AJ said simply and turned around and walked away.

"Ape! Stay out of it!" He yelled after her but she kept walking.

* * *

Punk went by his fathers place and he wasn't there and neither were any members of the Calderon family. Punk pulled up outside his townhouse and called his father number and got his voice mail.

"You just couldn't stay out it. Don't ever approach my wife again in an attempt to scare her into a relationship with you. You've never taken an interest in my life before and I don't believe you want to know, I'm not sure what the fuck you're after but if you ever scare my wife like you did today we're going to have a big problem. For now on stay the fuck out of my life." He hissed then hung up the phone.

Punk walked into the house and Larry ran up to him and Punk petted him.

"Where's your mom? Still pissy?" He asked the dog.

"I am not pissy." AJ huffed leaning in the doorway of the kitchen with her arms folded and an angry face.

"You look it." He smirked.

"I'm worried." She said to him. "And you didn't even understand where I was coming from."

"I do." He said removing his jacket and tossing it onto the living room chair.

"Then you told me to sit at home. Who do you think I am? I am a sophisticated smart woman who graduated from law school at the top of my class." She reminded him and he nodded. "I won't let anyone belittle me-"

"I'm sorry." He said with a frown. "I just wanted to upset you so much that you would just go back to work."

"Well, it worked." She said to him. "And need I remind you I make a lot of money. I make more than you- you should be home cooking ME dinner."

"That is true." He smirked. "So you have a client?"

"Ok, so I WAS making more money." She defended quietly. "I just need to get my feet off the ground."

"It's not a race, Ape." He reminded her. "We're good with money."

"For now." She said to him. "Then what happens if these psychos come after you?"

"If I die, you'll be set for life." he reassured her and her face fell.

"I wasn't talking about money!" She yelled slapping his arm causing him to laugh. "I don't care about the money when it comes to your life!"

"Ape, I'm a trained professional I know my job and I know how to take care of myself. The last thing you should be worrying about is me." He assured her.

"Well, I'm never going to not worry." She said simply. "We both agreed it was odd they just backed off after failing to kill you."

"No we did not. You said that, I said if they kept pushing me they'd all be afraid of getting arrested." Punk reminded her.

"Something is wrong." AJ said to him. "I can feel it. They said they'll hit you where it hurts."

"I don't believe Mike." Punk said simply. "And if they did say something like that, hitting me where it hurts wouldn't be killing me- it would be going after you. So it's you you should be worried about, not me."

"They don't even know me." She huffed.

"You were engaged to Bradford, you were in the house when they broke in and they threatened you." He reminded her. "Also, we're married." he laughed a bit. "It's not much of a secret."

"It's you you're the talking about." AJ said and he walked her over to the couch.

"Ape, Mike will say or do anything to get back into my life. He's not a horrible guy but I just don't want anything to do with him." Punk explained. "He'll make up stories and lie. That's why he went to you and not directly to me."

"Maybe he came to me because you won't give him the time of day or take this seriously. At the end of the day you're still his son." She reminded him.

"He has his own kids." Punk said waving it off. "Let him focus his time and energy into them. I'm an adult and I've been keeping an eye on the Calderon's and I'm safe."

"You promise?" She asked.

"I swear." He laughed. "You upset yourself for no reason."

"It wasn't for no reason. We just got married and there's already someone trying to kill you." She sighed.

"I'm a cop, there's always going to be someone trying to kill me." He reminded her and she frowned. "You know my job, I've had it for years and I'm good at it. Stop making yourself sick over this."

"It's just everything has been so good for so many months. And I knew the Calderon's going into hiding was too good to be true." She told him.

"Relax, I've got this." he said then kissed her.

"Sex isn't going to make me feel better." She warned as he kissed her neck but she still pouted.

"Really? I doubt that." He said easing her so she was laying on the couch. "We were spoiled the last week in Hawaii." he told her as he tugged her panties down her legs from under her dress. "I could just roll over and be in you all day long. This is the longest we've gone without sex since we got married."

"I'm not in the mood." She said annoyed as Punk's head disappeared under her dress. "I just want- ah!" she gasped and smiled a bit. "That's good." She moaned suddenly and looked down and just saw his head bopping under her dress.

"It is." She heard Punk agree, but just barely as his mouth was occupied and he was still under her dress.

* * *

After nearly twenty minutes Punk reemerged from under his wife's dress and was sucking on his index finger as she panted on the couch with her legs still spread.

"You ok?" Punk asked amused as he suck on the tip of his thumb next to savior everything her body offered him.

"I want more." She moaned and he began to unbotton her dress.

"I need more." He said spreading her dress open but someone knocking at the door halted him.

"Who the hell is that?" AJ groaned sitting up and quickly buttoning her dress back up.

"Fuck." Punk snapped getting up and walking to the door. He looked back at AJ who nodded at him as she buttoned the last button on her dress. "Detective Henderson." Punk forced out.

"Detective Brooks." Henderson greeted. "Ms. Mendez." he greeted noticing she was standing behind Punk.

"Brooks." Punk corrected. "She's Mendez-Brooks now." He told him.

"Congratulations." Henderson smiled.

"You sent my wife flowers the day of our wedding, it's not like you didn't know." Punk said annoyed.

"Phil." AJ whispered and he let out an annoyed breath.

"I'm here on business. I wanted you to hear this from me in person, my team got the call-" Henderson began.

"Your father is Michael Brooks?" Henderson questioned and Punk shook his head in annoyance.

"That's what my birth certificate says." Punk forced out.

"There was an accident tonight. They're not sure he's going to make it." Henderson told him and AJ's face fell.

"What the hell do you mean?" AJ demanded to know. "I just saw him."

"He was mugged outside his casino and I guess he put up a fight. He was beaten very badly. They think he has brain damage." Henderson told them.

"Does his wife know?" Punk asked.

"She does. I had one of my guys pick her and the kids up." Henderson told him. "She wanted me to notify you. Thought I would do it personally. You should go down there, it doesn't look good."

"Give me five minutes." AJ said to Punk and she ran up the stairs.

"If you want me to sit with your wife while you go see your father-" Henderson began.

"Are you working with Calderon?" Punk asked bluntly.

"What?" Henderson laughed.

"It's just Mike was visiting my wife today and warned her about the Calderon's coming for me and now he's mugged and beaten nearly to death? You want to hang back with my wife? You've been hanging around my wife a lot actually." Punk noted. "Maybe you took her side against the those two rookies because you had bigger plans for her."

"I have no anger or ill will towards your wife or you for that matter." Henderson told him.

"There's something bigger going on and you and Calderon are part of it. I wasn't sure how it all fit but now I think I do." Punk said knowingly.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Henderson smiled and Punk smiled a bit himself.

"That's what I thought." Punk said to him. "If Mike doesn't make it and his kids have to grow up without a father I will not stop until I get you. I'll tie you to Calderon and his whole organization. I'll bring you all down."

"You're reaching, Detective." Henderson shrugged.

"Right." Punk forced out coldly.

"I'm ready." AJ said passing Punk his jacket.

"I'll give you two a ride." Henderson offered.

"You can go fuck yourself." Punk said simply as he took AJ's hand and walked to the elevator.

Henderson watched in amusement as they jumped onto the elevator. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

"Yea he's on his way." Henderson said to him. "Took the wife with him. He's onto us."


	26. Long Wait

**A/N: Hi everyone! Not sure anyone is still reading this or any of my stories and I get it, I totally dropped the ball. Thanks for your concerns and messages and I did have a rough few months which made it difficult to concentrate on writing. I really, REALLY want to try to finish this story because I hate leaving something unfinished. I can't promise it will be updated regularly but I do want to try to finish. Thanks for staying loyal everybody, it means a bunch!**

* * *

 **Long Wait**

* * *

Punk arrived at the hospital with AJ and it was hard to miss Mike's family. His wife was talking to a doctor in the corner, his children, Punk's siblings were sitting in chairs. Kevin who was his brother was sitting sadly fidgeting with something in his hand and the youngest, which was his sister, was holding a teddy bear and barely keeping her eyes open.

"You should go talk to the doctor." AJ whispered to him.

"I don't know." Punk said scratching the back of his head nervously. "I should have just called."

"Don't be silly." AJ whispered. "This is your father."

"He's not though. I never let him back in and it's hypocritical of me to be here while his family is here." Punk told her.

"You are his family. His wife wanted you here." AJ reminded him. "Look at your brother and sister."

"I don't even know them." Punk whispered eyeing the sad two kids.

"Just being here probably means the world to them." AJ said and that's when Mike's wife walked over.

"Phil?" The pretty older woman asked.

"Uh, yea." Punk stuttered out.

"I'm Rosie." She smiled through her tears and shook his hand. "Thank you for coming."

"How is he?" Punk asked.

"He's in really bad shape. The next 24 hours are critical." She told him. "They're not sure he'll ever wake up. He doesn't even look the same." She cried. "The kids want to see him but I don't want them to remember their father like that."

"Yea they shouldn't go in." Punk agreed. "Rosie, this is my wife." Punk introduced.

"AJ." Rosie smiled shaking her hand. "Mike told me a lot about you."

"It's nice to meet you." AJ smiled politely.

"What happened?" Punk asked her.

"We were on the phone talking about dinner and he was getting into his car and then I heard yelling and the phone went dead." Rosie said shaking her head.  
"I didn't realize he was getting mugged or beaten. The police said mugging but he had his wallet on him."

"Really." Punk said eyeing her.

"Muggers would take the money, right?" Rosie asked.

"Of course they would." Punk said to her. "Maybe they took the cash and his cards out."

"It was all there." Rosie told him.

"Did he mention anyone giving him a hard time?" Punk asked.

"I spoke to that other Detective about this." Rosie sighed.

"Talk to me." Punk said softly. "Tell me everything so I can make sure this case is handled properly."

"He didn't have any problems. Our neighbor and him were feuding over a parking space but that was the only conflict he's had in years." Rosie told him.

"He didn't mention anything about the casino?" Punk asked and Rosie shook her head. "Anything about me?"

"No." Rosie said to him and Punk just nodded. "It must have been random."

"Maybe." Punk forced out.

"They're setting him up in his room I don't know if you want to see him-" She began.

"Um, no." Punk said shaking his head slightly. "You should go in and sit with him. Do you need me to call someone for the kids?"

"My sister is on her way to take them for the night." Rosie told him.

"Mommy." The little girl greeted tiredly walking over. "I want to go to sleep."

"Oh, I know." Rosie said lifting the four year old up.

"Hey, I know you." The little girl yawned pointing at Punk.

"She's seen your picture." Rosie told him and he nodded.

"Hi there." Punk said putting on a smile. "What's your name?"

"Kendall." She smiled tiredly. "And this is Panda." she said holding up her teddy bear.

"I'm Punk." He told her and she giggled which caused Punk to smile in amusement.

"That's a silly name." Kendall told him still giggling.

"Be nice." Rosie told her daughter.

"It's fine." Punk smiled. "You're right it is a bit silly." He agreed. "You can call me Phil if you'd like."

"Ok." Kendall said to him. "Are you my brother?"

"Uh, yea I guess." Punk said unsure and felt AJ grab his hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Go sit with your brother, your aunt Cindy is coming to pick you guys up." Rosie said putting Kendall down.

"Ok." Kendall yawned again and walked over to her brother.

"I'll go say hi." Punk said excusing himself and AJ began to talk to Rosie more.

"Hey." Punk said sitting next to his brother.

"Hi." The 12 year old greeted.

"You alright?" Punk asked and he just shrugged. "I'm-"

"I know who you are." The boy said to him. "The cop."

"Yea." Punk said to him. "What's that?" he asked nodding towards the boys hand and it was a small police car. "You want to be a cop one day?"

"Maybe." He shrugged. "Is my dad dead?"

"No." Punk said shaking his head.

"My mom won't stop crying and she won't tell us anything and my dad isn't here and I know he's in there." he told Punk. "I'm not a little kid. I can handle it."

"No one knows what's going on." Punk explained to him. "You'll be the first to know once your mom knows."

"Really?" He asked and Punk nodded.

"Yea. I mean you're clearly not a little kid." He shrugged.

"I'm not." Young Mikey agreed. "Is that your girlfriend?" he asked Punk nodding over to AJ.

"Ah, that's my wife." Punk smirked. "Pretty, huh?"

"Very." Mike smiled looking at AJ and Punk had to laugh. "Do you think one day you can take me for a ride in a police car?" He asked Punk.

"Uh, yea." Punk said unsurely. "My car has sirens in it but it's not a patrol car."

"Because you're a detective." Mikey stated proudly.

"Yea." Punk nodded. "You know a lot about police, huh?"

"I do." Mikey confided. "I dress up like a cop every year for Halloween."

"That's pretty awesome." Punk said with a forced smile.

"Are you going to get the bad guy who hurt my dad?" Milkey asked looking up at him. "You get the bad guys, right?"

"I do and I will get the bad guy who hurt your dad." Punk assured him. "That's what I do."  
Punk looked over and saw AJ talking to Rosie and he looked at the two siblings he never bothered to get to know and stood up. They were terrified and scared for their dad and it was his fault. He was way too hard on his dad. And he didn't truly understand that Mike wasn't just HIS dad, he had an entire family and risked it all looking out for him.

"We should get going." Punk whispered to AJ. "Call me if anything changes." he said passing his father's wife his card and she nodded.

"He'd be really happy to know that you came by." Rosie smiled.

"Nice meeting you." AJ smiled faintly.

"By Punky!" Kendall smiled and waved from her seat.

"Bye, Kendall." Punk said almost nervously and then rushed AJ onto the elevator.

* * *

Once they got home AJ showered and went to bed. She woke up and felt the emptiness in bed. There was no Punk and no Larry. She leaned over a bit and saw it 3 in the morning and crawled out of the bed and headed down the stairs. There was a light on in the living room and she yawned as she walked over to her new husband.

"What are you doing?" She asked leaning over his shoulder and looking at the computer.

"Working. Cody sent me surveillance video from the casino." Punk told her keeping his eyes on the screen.

"Should you be working this?" AJ questioned. "If you get anything on these guys any decent defense attorney or public defender will get this case thrown out. It's a conflict of interest."

"I have to work it." Punk said simply. "I'll make sure it doesn't get thrown out."

"You can't be sure." AJ frowned. "You're going to fuck it up." She said closing his laptop and he looked up and glared at her.

"I already fucked this up!" He yelled surprising her. "I should have arrested these guys when they were blackmailing Bradford. But I didn't, I ran scared because I thought you'd be in danger."

"I'm sorry I-" She began.

"It's not your fault. It's mine." Punk told her standing up. "When it comes to you and anybody else it's no contest. I truly thought I did the best thing for you. But I didn't even do that right because those rookies-"

"The rookies have nothing to do with Calderon." AJ shrugged and he laughed bitterly.

"You can't see this connection?" Punk asked her in disbelief. "You, don't see how this is all part of the plan?"

"What are you taking about?" AJ asked confused.

"Henderson is working with them." Punk told her and AJ just rolled her eyes. "Don't do that. I'm a cop, I know what the hell I'm talking about."

"I think you're reaching." She said to him.

"And I think you have on rose colored sunglasses." Punk said to her. "I know what I'm talking about."

"Henderson has been nothing but nice." AJ insisted.

"Why?" Punk asked.

"He feels bad about his rookies." She shrugged and he shook his head.

"No he fucking doesn't." Punk spat.

"You should sleep. You had an overwhelming day-" She began.

"Sleep? Do you realize that this all leads back to you?" He asked her and she eyed him like he was crazy. "They want you. I don't know if it's to piss me off or piss Bradford off but you've been targeted over this and I can't sleep knowing Henderson has you in his line of fire."

"Phil." She sighed sadly.

"Don't look at me like that or speak to me like you think I'm insane." Punk warned her. "I'm not stupid, Ape. I know what's going on. It all makes fucking sense."

"I'm a lawyer Phil, I've worked cases and you are trying to connect dots that don't work." AJ insisted. "You need to sleep."

"Ape, Henderson works with Calderon- it's all connected. Calderon was blackmailing Bradford and I got involved. After that everything went downhill." He reminded her.

"The two rookies which was my father's case is what involved Henderson." AJ reminded him and Punk shook his head.

"It's too convenient." Punk said to her. "My dad came to me to warn me and he ended up paying the price. Why the fuck would Henderson show up here? Why does he show up everywhere you are? What is his obsession with you?"

"He's not obsessed." AJ snorted. "And if you see it that way maybe it's because he has a little crush."

"Please." He snorted and she glared at him.

"Why is that so unbelievable?" She asked folding her arms. "Do you think that other men don't find me attractive?"

"I didn't say that." He said slightly amused.

"You're saying it with your eyes." She said glaring at him. "You really don't think another man could be attracted to me?"

"Of course I do. I think you're the most attractive woman that walks this planet." He said confidently. "But Henderson isn't crushing on you. This isn't high school where he's trying to swoop away my girl before the big dance. He's sinister and he's dirty and I'd bet my life that he's getting paid by Calderon. His rookies were dirty and they learn that shit from their bosses." he told her.

"Calderon's people shot you." AJ reminded him. "Isn't it even?"

"No, Ape. And I'm surprised you're naive enough to believe that." He said to her. "They went after my dad who I don't even have a relationship with. It's a message. They couldn't kill me by shooting me."

"So what are you saying?" She asked.

"I'm saying if I was going after me I'd have a real easy target because I wear my heart on my sleeve." He said simply and she eyed him. "You, Ape. Long before marriage or even dating."

"Phil." She sighed sadly walking over to him. "I think you're upset about your father, which by the way wasn't your fault either, and you haven't really slept. I think you need to get a full nights sleep, check in on your father in the morning then go to work and stay alert. Because fixating on me is going to cause you to get hurt"

"You're right." He said simply and she narrowed her eyes at him. "No, seriously you're right. I should sleep this off, I'm not thinking clearly."

"You know what helps me think clearly?" She asked cutely. "A hot and relaxing bath."

"You know I hate that." He said to her and she pouted. "But I won't turn it down. Go set it up."

"K." She smiled kissing his cheek and going up the stairs.

* * *

"Then he implied Henderson couldn't find me attractive." AJ explained to Maria as they sipped on soda and snacked on beer nuts at the bar a few nights later.

"He's just paranoid about everything." Maria shrugged. "How's his dad doing?"

"He pulled through the last few nights which is a good sign. They have to wait for him to wake up before they can do anything else. They're not sure about brain damage." AJ told her.

"Poor Punk." Maria said shaking her head. "The man can't catch a break."

"He was going to see him after work tonight." AJ told her. "I offered to go but he said he needed to go alone."

"It's a lot for him to take in." Maria reasoned. "He doesn't have the best relationship with his father."

"Yea." AJ sighed. "But a better one than I had with my father."

"Your parents are special cases." Maria scoffed. "How is married life treating you?"

"I feel like our feet haven't even touched the ground since the honeymoon." AJ admitted.

"You should have stayed on vacation." Maria teased.

"I'm worried about him. His safety and sanity." AJ told her. "I don't even know how to help him."

"You just have to be patient with him." Maria told her. "You know Punk." She shrugged. "He'll work his way through it."

"I should call Jenny to check in on him." AJ said reaching for her phone but Maria stopped her.

"I think you should give Punk time to breathe. He's an adult and just going through the motions." Maria told her.

"I know him. He's not thinking clearly." AJ told her.

"Or maybe he's thinking very clearly and you just don't want to believe what he's saying." Maria told her.

"I just want to be normal." AJ laughed annoyed. "I want to run my firm, I want Phil to not be a target and I just want to not live in fear."

"It will get easier, trust me." Maria assured her and that's when Cody walked over to the bar and greeted Maria with a kiss.

"Where's my husband?" AJ asked Cody.

"Its nice to see you too AJ." Cody teased.

"Sorry, hi." AJ said sipping her drink. "Where is Phil?"

"His dad woke up so he was headed over to the hospital." Cody told her and AJ's face fell.

"Why wouldn't he call me? Is he alright?" AJ asked checking her phone.

"He was awake and alert and seemed ok. He said wanted to give a statement but only to Punk." Cody shrugged.

AJ pulled a few bills out of her purse and placed them on the bar and shoved her phone into her bag.

"Where are you going?" Maria asked.

"To the hospital." AJ said simply.

"We'll give you a ride." Cody offered.

"No don't be silly." AJ said brushing it off.

* * *

Punk was in his dad's hospital room for close to an hour now trying to get something to go on.

"I heard you came to see me a few times-" Mike began.

"I need to you focus more on what happened." Punk said annoyed. "Who beat the crap out of you?"

"I don't remember anything, son." Mike groaned in pain a bit. "My head is killing me."

"I get that but I need something to go on." Punk argued. "Was it Calderon? Was it other cops?"

"Cops?" Mike asked confused.

"I have reason to believe Calderon has cops on his payroll. They hassled AJ not too long ago." Punk said to him.

"I really can't remember a thing. I assume it was Calderon's people." Mike said to him. "Knows I'm your old man. I tried to warn you."

"Yea I'm fully aware." Punk remarked shaking his head. "There's no DNA, footage sucks- I have nothing to go on to tie this assholes to this."

"You'll figure it out." Mike said closing his eyes. "You're smart, good at your job."

"Great." Punk muttered.

"The kids loved you." Mike told him. "Mikey wouldn't stop talking about you."

"They're good kids." Punk forced out.

"You have a family here." Mike told him.

"Ape is my family." Punk told him. "Her and Jenny have always been my family."

"I get that. But you have two siblings." Mike told him.

"I don't want to argue with you. I'll worry about my brother of the year award after I get the people who nearly killed you." Punk told just as his phone began to ring. "Brooks." He answered annoyed.

"Hey, Punk its Hillman." A uniformed greeted. "I wanted to give you a heads up that there was an incident involving your wife-"

"What happened?" Punk asked forgetting his father was even in the room with him.

"She was held up but she's fine." Hillman assured him. "Her wrist-"

"Where is she?" Punk asked cutting him off.

"She's outside the bar-" Hillman began to explain as Punk hung up.

"Everything ok?" Mike asked but Punk was already out the door.

* * *

"I told you I was fine." AJ said to the EMT as she sat in the back of an ambulance.

"They're doing their job." Cody told her and she rolled her eyes.

"Are you ok?" Punk asked racing over. It took him less than ten minutes to make it to her.

"I told you not to tell him." AJ hissed at Cody.

"Why wouldn't you tell me?" Punk asked her.

"You were with your dad." AJ said to him. "I didn't want to bother you. This was nothing."

"Is she alright?" Punk asked the EMT.

"Yea. She sprained her left wrist but I'll wrap it up." He told Punk who looked at her swollen wrist and frowned.

"He got my rings." AJ sighed.

"Yea he did." Punk said gently lifting her left hand.

"I tried to fight him off." She told him.

"I've told you not to do that. Always give them what they want." He groaned.

"I love my ring." She frowned.

"The ring means nothing without you." He reminded her.

"He didn't even have a gun." She scoffed.

"What happened exactly?" Punk asked.

"I was getting into a cab. I closed the door to the cab and someone swung it open and pulled me out by hair and I fell to the floor." She told him and he nodded. "The cab got scared and drove off, the guy pulled a knife out and took my purse and asked for my jewelry. I gave him everything but the rings but he twisted my wrist to get it off. I kicked him but he still got them."

"I came out at the end of it." Cody told Punk now who looked at him. "I gave chase but he was fucking fast. I called it in."

"ID?" Punk asked Cody but looked back at his wife.

"White male in his early thirties, about 6'4." He told Punk.

"I want Ape to look at mugshots of Calderon's associates." Punk told Cody.

"Calderon's people probably would have just murdered me." AJ offered and Punk glared at her.

"I'll take her to the station." Cody told Punk.

"No." She announced. "I want to go home." AJ said to them.

"I need you to look at pictures while you're my mind is still fresh." Punk told her.

"I want to go to the hospital." AJ told them and both eyed her oddly.

"It's probably not a bad idea." The EMT offered.

"Its a sprain." Punk reasoned.

"I want to go to the hospital and have it looked at again." She said holding her wrist. "No offense." She said to the EMT.

"Its fine." The EMT told her. "I'll take you over."

"I've got her." Punk said helping AJ out of the ambulance. "Meet me at the hospital." Punk told Cody who nodded. "What's going on?" He asked AJ quietly as he opened his car door for her and she got in.

"In case you didn't notice I was assaulted." She defended as he got into the car as well and he eyed her. AJ was never the type to want to go to the hospital or look weak or have even more attention on her.

"I did fucking notice." He said simply. "I want to know why you want to go to the hospital. What was left out?"

"What?" She asked and he turned to look at her.

"Did he touch you?" Punk asked quietly even though no one else was in the car. "Did Cody not make it out in time-"

"Are you insane?" She asked trying not to laugh.

"Then why do you want to go to the hospital?" He asked her seriously. "I don't have time for these games, Ape." He groaned.

"I think I'm pregnant." She announced and his face dropped. "I have a test in my purse I was going to take later but I heard your dad was up and wanted to get to the hospital. I took a bad fall when I got pulled out of the cab and I want to go to the hospital in case I am to make sure everything is ok."

"Um." Punk began but wasn't sure what else to say. "Alright."

"Alright?" She asked as he started the car and pulled out of his spot. AJ studied his face and could tell he was in shock. "Oh, Phil don't do that." She sighed as he put on the sirens.

"What? This is an emergency." He said keeping his eyes on the road as he sped through the streets.

"It's really not." She said leaning back and closing her eyes. "Is that all you're going to say?"

"I have to concentrate on driving, Ape." He said simply as he cut off cars.

"The sirens are unnecessary." She groaned.

"No they're not. You could be seriously injured." He said to her. "You should have told the EMT."

"I didn't want every cop in Chicago to know our business. I didn't even get to tell you." She reasoned.

"You didn't even tell me you thought you were." He said looking at the road. "That's something that you usually mention to your spouse."

"That is true." AJ agreed. "Except it hit me today that I'm two weeks late and you haven't been around much the last few days. I just wanted to take the test first. What about my rings?"

"Your what?" Punk asked briefly looking over to her confused.

"My wedding rings." She reminded him and he rolled his eyes.

"Are you kidding me? You got attacked and you might be pregnant but you're thinking about your rings?" He asked in disbelief. "Who cares about the rings?"

"I do, Phil." She said to him.

"Worry about you and remembering who attacked you." He said to her.

"I'm worried about you." She said to him and he looked at her.

"I'm fine." He grumbled. "I'm just trying to figure out if this guy was dumb enough to put his hands on my wife."

"It wasn't him-" She began.

"He would never personally do it." Punk said shaking his head. "He would have someone do it."

"If I can't ID him how can you prove it?" She asked.

"They'll want me to know." Punk said to her. "But I don't want you to worry about them. That's my job. You worry about your own health."

"I don't even know if I'm pregnant." She scoffed.

"You're pregnant." He said simply keeping his eyes on the road. "There's been something about you these last few weeks. A glow or something. Something was different and I couldn't place it."

"Is that why you kept asking me if I cut my hair?" She asked with a laugh and he smirked a bit.

"Yea." He admitted. "I can't believe I didn't put two and two together."

* * *

Inside the hospital AJ was getting getting dressed (with Punk's help since her wrist was still hurt) and she couldn't help but frown.

"You're not excited, are you?" AJ asked Punk who hadn't said word since the doctor confirmed she was in fact pregnant.

"Ape-" He began.

"It's not ideal." She admitted quietly. "I have my firm and things are crazy at work for you but we made a human." She said with a hopeful smile. "We both wanted kids at some point-"

"I'm over the moon." He said in a simple tone and she eyed him. "I am. I love you and I already love this little bean growing inside of you."

"So why are you so quiet?" She asked.

"Ape, you're all bruised." He reminded her lifting her shirt slightly and she looked to the bruise forming. "You could have lost the baby, you could have lost your life. You didn't say he pushed you so hard you bruised."

"It looks worse than it feels." She assured him.

"Come here." He said cupping her face and kissing her.

"Sorry." Detective Henderson smiled walking into the room and Punk slowly pulled away from the kiss and turned to look at the crooked Detective. "I wanted to let you both know we caught the suspect."

"How?" Punk asked standing in front of AJ.

"Me and a few of my guys were a few blocks over when the call came over and we saw someone matching the suspects description fleeing into the train station." He told Punk almost smugly and that's when it hit AJ. Punk said they'd make sure he knew they were responsible.

"AJ didn't give a description." Punk said trying to remain calm.

"We recovered her rings." Henderson said holding up the bag with a smile. "Glad we could be in the right place at the right time."

"Yea." Punk forced out snatching the bag from him. "It's amazing how you're everywhere related to my wife."

"It's called good timing." Henderson shrugged. "I was going to check in on your father-"

"Stay away from him." Punk warned him. "Stay away from my wife. You tell your boss-"

"We have the same boss." Henderson laughed.

"We don't." Punk said shaking his head with a laugh. "You're going down with them. I'll see to it."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Henderson smiled.

"You really made a big mistake tonight involving my wife." Punk informed him. "It's over."

"I'm glad to see you're alright, Ms. Mendez." Henderson said looking over Punk's shoulder to her.

"It's Brooks." AJ corrected. "Mrs. Brooks."

"My apologies." Henderson said to him. "See you around, Punk." He said then left.

"Ok." AJ said to Punk.

"Believe me now?" He asked his wife as she took her rings from him.

"Yea." "She said quietly placing her hand over her stomach.

"Hey, it's going to be fine." He assured her placing his hand over hers. "I've got you two, don't worry." He said kissing her forehead.


	27. The One

**The One**

* * *

" _Let's take this to the bedroom." Carl Malone suggested to 19 year old AJ._

 _They were on her couch with a movie playing on the TV but they weren't paying attention to it at all._

" _I don't know." AJ said tucking her hair nervously behind her ear._

" _You're not a -" He began._

" _No!" She answered a bit quickly. "But you're friends with Phil-"_

 _"Co-worker." Carl smirked as he nipped at her lips again. "And so what? He's not your ex or anything, is he?"_

 _"No. He's like my brother." She told him._

" _Like your brother or a legit blood relative?" Carl asked cutely._

" _Like." She confirmed. "My best friend."_

 _"Then you don't really need to run down your sexual partners with him." Carl said placing his hand between her legs and she hitched a nervous breath as his lips latched onto her neck._

 _AJ had never had a one night stand, she was still a teenager. She was an adult because of the fact that her mother had been gone for months already and she had been living on her own but she didn't even know this guy. He was in the academy with Punk and came by to drop off some paperwork for him but when he wasn't home, AJ spotted him waiting outside Punk's and he invited himself in to escape the cold._

" _I just don't think it's a good idea." AJ said pushing his hand away but he moved it right back and ignored her._

" _It's a great idea." He said against her ear and AJ wasn't comfortable at all._

" _Ape I was-" Punk began as he freely walked into her apartment and froze upon seeing her._

" _Hey, man." Carly greeted as AJ jumped up relieved and instinctively walked over to Punk._

" _You ok?" Punk asked AJ quietly._

" _Yea, I'm fine." She whispered but he knew her better than anyone on this planet._

" _I came by-" Carl began._

" _To help yourself to my neighbor?" Punk asked angrily. "She's a kid."_

 _"She's legal." Carl said standing up himself and grabbed the paperwork he had for Punk. "I just wanted to bring your paper back."_

 _"She's legal?" Punk asked disgusted. "You-"_

 _"I'm not a kid." AJ said narrowing her eyes at Punk._

" _See." Carl said putting the papers on the table. "That's the paper you lent me."_

 _"You should go." Punk said to Carl._

" _You can stay." AJ said and Punk glared at her._

" _Don't do this." Punk said with a groan. "Don't get all pissy because I called you exactly what you are."_

" _I'm not a kid!" She yelled. "You should go." She said opening the door for Punk._

" _I'm not going until he does." Punk said simply._

" _I'll call the police." She threatened._

" _No you won't." Punk laughed walking further into her apartment and sitting on the couch in the middle. "What are we watching?"_

 _"I'm going to go." Carl said to her. "I'll call you later."_

 _"But you don't have my number." AJ sighed as he ran out._

" _I can go now." Punk smiled standing up._

" _Where do you get off?" She asked placing her hands on her hips._

" _This is what I do."he reminded her. "I protect you because no one else will."_

 _"I don't need your protection! I'm nineteen!" She argued and he laughed._

" _You looked ready to cry when I walked in." Punk said simply. "I'm not going to let anyone make you uncomfortable."_

 _"I wasn't. You read the situation wrong." She insisted._

" _No I didn't. I read your face and I know he was about to force you into something you didn't want." He said to her._

" _I hate you." AJ snapped and he laughed louder._

" _No you don't." He said kissing her forehead and then grabbed the paperwork Carl left._

" _I really do! I don't need you to protect me!" She yelled as he walked out the door._

" _Yes you do." He said quickly then left._

* * *

"You didn't sleep." AJ said laying in bed on her back as Punk gently drew circles around her stomach.

"You're having my child." He whispered. "I can't sleep. I can't stop thinking about it." He said with a faint smile.

"It's pretty amazing." AJ had to agree with a smile. "Promise me that you're going to be as annoyingly protective of this baby as you were with me."

"I still am annoyingly protective of you." He smirked. "But yea, you don't have to worry about that. I have feeling this kid is going to be under lock and key until they're like forty-five."

"What about Henderson and Calderon?" She asked him. "I'm scared."

"No one is going to hurt you I swear to you." He swore and she offered him a faint smile.

"I know that. I'm scared for you." She said to him and he frowned.

"I'm going to be fine." He assured her. "I've got you, I've got this little bean growing inside of you. It's all good."

"You didn't sleep because you were angry." She noted. "I heard you on the phone demanding to see the guy who mugged me."

"So?" He asked. "I think I have every right to be angry at the man who tossed around my pregnant wife."

"You don't think clearly when it comes to me and now your child." She noted. "You're going to get yourself killed trying to protect us."

"I won't." He said kissing her cheek. "I'd die for you no questions asked but I'm thinking clearly. I'm trying to."

"What do you think we're having?" She asked curiously.

"A troublemaker." He teased in a serious voice causing her to let out a laugh. "Come on, our genes? A complete and total wiseass with a shit attitude but a heart of gold." He told her. "I can't wait."

"It's still super early to anyone." She warned him.

"It's going to be a hard secret to keep but I'll do it." He said to her. "We do need to talk safety precautions for you though." He began and she rolled her eyes.  
"It's not just you anymore, Ape." he reminded her.

"I know." She said to him. "But I don't think-"

"Two rookie officers assaulted you, you were nearly shot in court and you were mugged last night." He reminded her. "I'm taking no chances."

"What do you want from me?" She asked with a dramatic sigh.

"Quit your job and stay home." He said seriously but was clearly teasing and she glared at him. "Someone is going to be escorting you to and from work. All your clients have to be vetted."

"My clients are criminals." She pointed out. "I'm a criminal attorney that's usually what walks through my door. Stop being ridiculous."

"I think last night proved I'm not ridiculous." He said to her. "This shit with my dad I can handle but I can't handle you getting hurt like he did." He warned her and she sighed. "I mean it, Ape."

"I'm fine." She reminded him.

"If you would have fell wrong you would have lost the baby." He reminded her.

"But I didn't so little bean is ok." She smirked.

"You were lucky." He told her.

"Stay home with me today." She requested cutely.

"I will. For most of the day. I have a meeting at 7." He told her tiredly.

"What kind of meeting do you have at 7 at night?" She asked.

"A work thing. Don't worry about it." He said and she rolled her eyes.

"You're lucky I'm such a trusting wife." She remarked and he laughed. "And not at all jealous."

"I'm not meeting with a woman and you my dear are insanely jealous." He teased.

"Lies." She laughed a bit.

"Do you want to know the first time I looked at you and wanted you?" He asked.

"You've never told me." She said thinking about it.

"My twenty sixth birthday." He remembered fondly.

"What did we do that year?" She asked.

"I had a date, and you intruded." He reminded her.

* * *

 _With his mom out of town for his birthday, Punk was able to not make a big deal out of his birthday for the first time in a long time. He HATED his birthday. Each passing year was a reminder he was getting closer and closer to death and he felt his life wasn't really fulfilling. He was loving his job as a cop but he still felt like he was missing something. He was living on his own and had a steady girlfriend for six months but something was still missing._

" _What do you want to eat tonight?" His girlfriend Janelle asked from the kitchen._

" _Chinese food sounds good." He suggested and she frowned. "Or not." He laughed a bit._

" _I'm really in the mood for sushi." She told him eagerly._

" _I hate sushi." He groaned but she pouted and he relented. "But I'll find something." He said taking the menu from her._

 _The door swung open without hearing a knock and in walked 21 year old AJ with a hand full of balloons and a cake._

" _Hey." AJ smiled and Punk tried to hide his smile. Of course she wouldn't forget his birthday. She was kind of MIA since she was so busy in law school and he'd be lying if he didn't say he was disappointed when he hadn't heard from her today._

" _Ape." He warned._

" _Can I help you?" Janelle questioned._

" _You know AJ." Punk said to Janelle._

" _It's your birthday?" She asked Punk._

" _Of course it is." AJ smiled putting her items down. "I know you're a big birthday grump so I toned it down a bit this year." She said releasing at least ten balloons._

" _How did you not fly away with the balloons when walking them over?" He teased._

" _Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday?" Janelle asked Punk._

" _I did. I'm sure I mentioned it." He shrugged._

" _He doesn't like a big fuss on his birthday." AJ told her simply. "Double chocolate cake so I know you won't turn it down." She now pointed out to Punk._

" _We were in the middle of a date." Janelle said to AJ politely._

" _I'm sorry." AJ stated feeling embarrassed now. "I didn't mean to intrude-"_

 _"Don't be stupid." Punk said to her as he helped her out of her jacket._

" _Phil." Janelle whispered. "We were just going to order sushi."_

 _"Phil hates sushi." AJ frowned._

" _Phil, we had plans." Janelle said to him annoyed._

" _I can go." AJ said to her quietly._

" _You can stay." Punk said to her and Janelle glared at him. "She went out of her way to bring me cake and balloons-"_

 _"And a present." AJ added holding up a bag. "Can't have a birthday without presents."_

 _"Of course." Janelle said putting on a smile. "AJ, right?"_

 _"She's my friend in law school." Punk reminded her and Janelle nodded._

" _Phil talks about you a lot." Janelle noted._

" _He's proud of me. Like a big brother." AJ smiled and Janelle smirked._

" _How about we scrap the sushi and order pizza?" Janelle suggested._

" _That sounds good." Punk said to him. "Now it's a birthday party."  
_

 _A few hours passed and Janelle watched as Punk's face lit up with the present AJ had given him. It was some video game for an old system and Janelle had never seen him happier. Janelle felt like a third wheel but wouldn't say it and risk ruining Punk's birthday. They ate pizza and cake and made small talk but as the clock struck midnight AJ was getting ready to go._

" _You're already leaving?" Punk asked._

" _I have a paper due in two days and I'm not even halfway done." AJ said putting on her jacket._

" _I'll give you a ride home." He offered._

" _No I have my car." She told him._

" _I'll walk you to it." He told her and she eyed him. "It's a bad neighborhood."_

" _You should move somewhere nicer than." She teased. "It was really nice to see you."_

 _"You too, AJ." Janelle smiled and gave her a small wave._

 _When Punk made it back upstairs Janelle herself was getting ready to leave._

" _I thought you were staying the night?" Punk frowned. He wanted to end his birthday with a literal bang._

" _Really? After that?" Janelle laughed a bit._

" _What do you mean?" He asked confused._

" _Phil, I felt like a third wheel." Janelle said honestly._

" _She's my friend." Punk defended._

 _"Your friend? You're madly in love with her. You couldn't keep your eyes off of her all night." Janelle laughed a bit._

" _Not true." he said shaking his head._

" _It's true." Janelle argued back. "Every time she moved around your eyes followed her, you asked about her day and actually cared to hear about it unlike when you ask me." She remarked bitterly._

" _She's like my sister. I've known her my whole life." Punk said to her._

" _That wasn't sisterly." Janelle said amused. "She knows you like nobody else. I didn't even know half of what she was talking about."_

 _"It's not like that." Punk insisted._

" _But it really is." Janelle said simply. "She's a sweet girl."_

 _"She is. But she's not for me." Punk told her. "She's my best friend."_

 _"She is for you." Janelle laughed collecting her things. "She's you! It's uncanny."_

 _"I've never looked at her as anything other than a friend." He defended._

" _If she came up here and took her clothes off and jumped you you'd turn that down?" Janelle asked amused._

" _Ew come on." Punk said cringing._

" _Think about it." Janelle said kissing his cheek. "You should be happy."_

 _"She's a friend!" Punk defended following her out the door._

" _You need to really think about that." Janelle said to him. "I hope you had a happy birthday." she said then walked onto the elevator._

* * *

"So did you?" AJ asked.

"Did I what?" He asked back.

"Think of me stripping my clothes off and throwing myself at you?" She asked and he laughed.

"I gave it some serious thought that night." He smirked. "But I didn't really think of it until Janelle said it to me. You made my whole day and you were only there a few hours towards the end."

"I'm your favorite person." She teased.

"You were and still are." He agreed.

"What would have happened if we didn't catch Bradford?" She asked him. "Would you have let me marry him?"

"I didn't really have a choice." Punk pointed out. "No one let's you do anything. But I was plotting."

"Were you?" She asked intrigued.

"I just didn't think you'd end up marrying him but as you started to plan I kept thinking how I was going to fucking blow it for you someway." He said and she laughed. "It's not funny. Do you know how badly it hurt when I heard you were getting married? To him of all people."

"Why him? What was it about him that you hated?" She asked.

"He was always throwing it in my face that you were marrying him." He said and she scoffed. "It's true! He was so fucking smug." he said annoyed.

"Maybe he was attracted to you." AJ teased.

"How could he not be?" Punk asked smugly himself.

"You're full of yourself." She teased sitting up.

"Where are you going? I wanted to lay in bed until my meeting." Punk frowned.

"I have to wash my face, probably vomit, walk Larry, eat, vomit up my breakfast-" she began to ramble.

"I'll do all of that. Minus the vomiting." He said sitting up. "You should rest."

"I'm pregnant not incapable of doing things." She sternly reminded him.

"I know but you did go through something last night so I'd feel better if you took it easy." He said to her. "It's why I took the day off."

"Are you going to see your dad?" She asked.

"Not on my agenda." He shrugged.

"What about your brother and sister?" She asked and he sighed. He knew she'd go back to this.

"Ape-" He began.

"We're having a child." She reminded him. "Maybe you should work on being around kids."

"They're like big kids. Our kid will be tiny and small." He argued.

"They admire you." She pointed out. "It's sweet. You always said you hated being an only child."

"Never once did I say that." He laughed. "That was YOU. YOU hated being an only child."

"Oh, that's right." AJ smirked. "I did. So we'll need to have more than one."

"Let's just have this one first." He suggested.

"Where will the baby go?" She asked him as she made the bed.

"What do you mean?" He asked confused.

"This is a two bedroom but I need my office." She said to him. "The baby is going to need a nursery."

"Right." Punk agreed thinking about it. "That's a good point. Are there even any schools around here?"

"I don't know." AJ shrugged. "Are there?"

"Do we buy a house? Is that the responsible thing to do?" he asked.

"A house with a yard for our child and Larry would be nice." AJ nodded along. "If only we could afford that."

"We make good money." He said to her. "I have money saved up."

"All my savings went into opening my firm which is making no money." AJ remarked. "I should have never opened this crappy firm-"

"Ape, you're going to make money." He assured her. "It takes time."

"We don't have time." She argued as she began to panic. "We are having a baby and we don't have space for it! I cleaned out my savings-"

"Ape, relax." He laughed. "We have money. And we don't have to move tomorrow. The kid sleeps with us for a bit anyway, right?"

"I want everything to perfect. I don't want our child to grow up like I did." She insisted.

"This is a two level home as it is." Punk laughed. "The kitchen is bigger than where you grew up."

"I just want-" She began.

"I know what you want." Punk said to her. "And I'm going to give it to you and that kid you're carrying. Don't worry."

"I'm not worried." She said shaking her head slightly. "I'm just-"

"-worried." he finished for her. "You have no patience for anything. We'll get it all done."

"Promise?" she asked.

"Promise." He said shooting her a wink before walking out of the room.

* * *

Across town Punk was sitting in a motel room looking at the time. It was now almost eight and he was growing anxious. Finally the door opened and Punk rolled his eyes.

"It's about fucking time." Punk spat.

"Are you sure meeting in a motel is a wise decision?" Bradford asked almost sarcastically.

"No one thinks I'm banging you." Punk scoffed. "I'm too good for you anyway."

"Right." Bradford said annoyed. "What?"

"What? What?" Punk asked amused. "My father ended up in the ER, Ape almost got killed-" Punk began.

"AJ was mugged." Bradford corrected. "No one almost died."

"My dad did." Punk said to him. "They're targeting me because of you."

"I'm sorry." Bradford said to him genuinely.

"Are you though?" He asked.

"What can I do?" Bradford asked sitting in a seat.

"You can seek charges against Calderon for attempted blackmail." He said to Bradford.

"I can't do this again." Bradford again.

"I have a lot at fucking stake." Punk snapped. "He has cops on his payroll!"

"Who?" Bradford questioned professionally.

"Henderson." Punk told him.

"I don't know him." Bradford said.

"He's a fucking Detective with a team. Two of his rookies pulled AJ over and assaulted her then they showed up at my house." He told Bradford.

"Why am I just hearing about this?" Bradford asked.

"Because originally I thought it was linked to AJ's father's case but Henderson showing up everywhere my wife is and knowing about my father just made it obvious." Punk told him. "The night AJ was mugged he showed up with her rings. He fucking set that up."

"Look." Bradford began standing up. "I feel for you, but these are the risks you take-"

"Yes! Exactly! The risks I take! Not my wife and father!" Punk yelled.

"I'm just putting this behind me. If I seek charges against the Calderon family it will only get worse." Bradford told him.

"Your campaign when you were running for DA was that you feared no criminal." Punk reminded him and Bradford felt ashamed. "You showed up with AJ on your arm and shouting at from the podium when you decided to run and I fucking voted for you because despite the fact that you were marrying my girl I believed in you as a District Attorney." Punk told him. "Now you're a chicken shit."

"It's not that easy." Bradford said to him. "My family-"

"What about my family?" Punk asked him. "AJ is pregnant." He told Bradford who seemed shocked. "She was knocked around last night and it could have been so much worse. I won't be able to concentrate on anything knowing she's out there with them-"

"I get it." Bradford said quietly. "I'll put a case together."

"That's it? That simple?" Punk asked.

"It's not that simple. It's going to take time." Bradford warned Punk. "But I can do it. But if they catch on they'll kill me."

"Fine." Punk said and Bradford glared at him. "Fine it will take a while, not fine they can kill you." He clarified.

"I won't let Ape take anymore heat for this." Bradford told him.

"Great." Punk said to him walking to the door. "If they see us together they'll sense something is up so we'll figure out our next meeting. Until then keep your head down and don't draw attention to yourself."

"Anything else?" Bradford asked mockingly.

"Yea, don't call her Ape." Punk said to him annoyed then walked out of the motel.

* * *

"Congrats on your early release." Henderson smiled shaking a man's hand outside of the prison where he was waiting.

"Should I ask why?" The man asked Henderson. "I didn't talk to the cops- I didn't make a deal."

"You're making a deal now." Henderson told him.

"I'm done fucking around with cops." The man said walking away.

"I'll have you thrown back in." Henderson warned. "I had you taken out, I'll have you put back in. Only this time you'll be in solitary confinement."

"I'll bite." The man sighed. "What do you want."

"The question is, what do YOU want, Mr. Devile?" Henderson asked William Devile.


	28. Oh Boy

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews and warm welcome back and well wishes! Love you all!**

* * *

 **Oh Boy**

* * *

Two months later AJ was sitting in her firm that was still empty. She had one client since opening and the best she could do was get him a plea deal. The more she sat in her office the more she thought she wasted valuable money doing this. This wasn't what she wanted to do. She wanted to be in court everyday, instead she was playing video games in her office hoping someone would commit crime and beg her for help, preferably a rich criminal so she could be properly paid.

"How's it going?" A voice asked sticking their head into her office.

"Oh, just a short break." AJ smiled quickly as she stood up and turned off the console.

"Right." Bradford said giving her half a smile. "You're a good attorney April."

"I know this." AJ responded smugly folding her arms.

"You're wasting your time here and your money." Bradford noted shaking his head looking around the office. "You're probably spending more money on rent than you are making."

"Why are you here? To throw it in my face that I'm a big fat failure?" She asked sitting behind her desk.

"Never." Bradford said sitting across from her. "I want to offer you a job."

"Back in the DA's office?" AJ asked.

"My right hand." Bradford said to her.

"I don't know if you can tell but I'm pregnant-" She began.

"I know." Bradford said to her. "How far along are you?"

"Almost five months." AJ smiled proudly.

"Come back to the DA's office." Bradford said simply. "You have a secure income, great benefits, maternity leave, you can make your schedule."

"Why are you offering me this?" She asked. "Did Phil put you up to this?"

"Yea, right." Bradford laughed. "I wish I could say it's because I want to help you out but you'd be helping me out. My office has taken a lot of hits. A lot of lost cases over stupidity. I need you back on my team." he told her honestly. "You'll be making 70 thousand a year-"

"I have to talk to Phil." She said to him. "I can't just make this kind of decision. I put a lot of money and effort into this firm."

"You'd make the money back you put into it in less than two months." Bradford pointed out. "You'd be fighting for the good guys again. You're a prosecutor. It's what you're meant to be."

"I have to talk to Phil." Was all AJ said again and Bradford nodded and stood up.

"Congratulations by the way." Bradford smiled. "You're going to be an extraordinary mother."

"Thank you." AJ whispered quietly rubbing her stomach slightly.

* * *

AJ was in her doctors office laying down looking at her watch when the door swung open.

"Am I late?" Punk asked rushing in and AJ shook her head.

"Nope. Just waiting on the doctor." She told him and could tell he was out of breath. "Did you literally run here?"

"Feels like I did." he said sitting down in the chair next to where she was laying.

"Anything on Henderson or Calderon?" She asked.

"No, Ape." he sighed. "You'd be the first to know."

"Bradford came by my office today." She told him and he eyed her. Feared he was going to clue AJ on the secret case they had been building for months now.

"Why?" Punk asked coldly and that's when the doctor walked in.

"How are we doing?" The doctor smiled and Punk was annoyed by the interruption.

"Good." AJ smiled sitting up slightly.

"Your blood work looks really good." The doctor told her. "All of your tests came back good as well."

"That's good." AJ said to her.

"Ready to see how big your baby has gotten?" The doctor asked lifting AJ's gown and she nodded eagerly as she placed the gel on her stomach.

"What did he say?" Punk asked in a whisper and AJ glared at him.

"We're about to see our child." AJ whispered back.

"Yup right there." The doctor pointed.

"Wow." AJ smiled wide. "Look how big he/she has gotten."

"Is it a he/she?" Punk asked the doctor nervously who let out a laugh.

"No. And I have a good angle. I could tell you the sex of the baby right now or write it down." The doctor offered.

"No." Punk said shaking his head. "We want it to be a surprise."

"He wants it to be a surprise." AJ told the doctor. "I want to know. Can you write it down for me?"

"Sure." The doctor smiled and Punk glared at AJ.

"I thought we agreed we'd be surprised." Punk said to her.

"I changed my mind." AJ shrugged. "I want to know. I HAVE to know."

"You're going to tell me." Punk groaned. "You're going slip up. You can't keep anything a secret."

"I'll try really hard." Was all she could offer him.

"Good heartbeat." The doctor nodded along. "Everything is right on track. Keep up the good work." She told AJ who smiled happily. "I'll print out the sonogram for you."

"Thank you." AJ said as the doctor stood up.

"So what did Bradford say exactly?" Punk asked her and she rolled her eyes.

"He asked me to come back to the DA's office." She said and Punk narrowed his eyes. "What? It's not like he wants me there because he's attracted to me." She retorted cleaning off her stomach.

"You have a firm." Punk reasoned. "You-"

"-are making no money." She finished for him. "We don't have the money to move into a bigger place with just your income. And everything I had saved has gone into my firm and I'm losing money everyday, money we need. We're barely making it now."

"That's not true." He scoffed.

"It is true." She corrected pulling her shirt down. "We have a child to think of."

"We have room for the baby where we are." He insisted.

"We really don't and I don't want you giving up your dream." He said simply.

"I love you for that." She smiled sweetly. "But this baby is going to cost a lot of money. Babies cost over 12K a year that's a thousand dollars a month. And that's not including curve balls. Besides, I've missed actually being in a courthouse."

"I can more than provide for you and this child." He insisted and helped her up.

"I know that. But I don't want to just get by. We can be living in a new house by the end of the year if I take this and I'm not talking about some shitty house in a shit neighborhood. I'm talking white picket fence around the corner from the best school district, big front porch, huge backyard for Larry." She told him.  
"I want to contribute more not just to our household but to our community."

"Sleep on it." was all Punk said. "Besides it was going to be a surprise but Cody found this great four bedroom house that is on our current price range."

"Really?" AJ asked skeptically. "I find that hard to believe."

"We're going to check it out right after we get out of here." Punk told her as the Doctor walked back over.

"I wrote on the sonogram the sex of the baby." The doctor said passing AJ a closed envelope.

"I don't get a sonogram picture because I'm patient?" Punk asked annoyed.

"You have one without the gender." The doctor said passing him his own picture.

"Thank you." Punk remarked almost childishly. "Alright, Ape lets-"  
He couldn't even finish his sentence as he saw AJ reading her sonogram and she looked up at him with a straight face and closed the envelope.

"You have a terrible poker face." Punk said annoyed.

"I do not." AJ said to him. "Thank you." She said to the doctor then walked out of the office.

* * *

"This is too good to be true." AJ said holding Punk's hand as they looked around the beautiful home.

"It is lovely." The Realtor agreed with a cheesy smile. "School is around the corner, three bedrooms, spacious yard, front lawn, three bathrooms, four bedrooms-"

"What's the catch?" AJ asked suspiciously.

"No catch. We just have had trouble getting buyers to not back out. Economy is tough now." the man shrugged.

"Huh." AJ said eyeing everything. "Is this new carpet?" She asked pointing at the master bedroom carper.

"It is." The Realtor confirmed.

"And everything was just painted it seems." AJ said eyeing everything carefully.

"Yes." He said eagerly.

"We can swing this." Punk whispered to AJ. "Then you can still work at your firm."

"It's not just about the money." AJ said shaking her head. "It's about-" She stopped when something hit her suddenly. "Oh my god."

"What?" Punk asked concerned.

"Is this the Brando home?" AJ asked the realtor who's face now dropped.

"The Brando home?" He asked nervously laughing and AJ narrowed her eyes at him. "Yes. Yes it is."

"We can't take this." AJ said to Punk walking out of the bedroom and he followed.

"What do you mean?" Punk asked.

"This is Alfred Brando's home." AJ told him and he eyed her with confusion. "THEE Brando home." she said to him. "Where good ol' Alfie murdered his entire family and continued to live in here for weeks after their death as if nothing happened. It's a psychopath's home!"

"Ape, it's a good deal." Punk insisted.

"Have you not seen the Amityville Horror movie?" She asked seriously and he rolled his eyes. "How can you want to live in a place! Three children died here and an innocent woman."

"Ape, it's a steal." He whispered.

"No chance in hell." She said to him. "I don't want our son to be afraid to live here once he's old enough to google and figure out that we're living in a literal haunted house."

"He's not going to-" Punk began and stopped. "Son? A boy?"

"Oh crap." She groaned. "I spilled before I even-" she stopped when Punk cupped her face and kissed her.

"A son?" He asked as he pulled away and she nodded. "My boy?"

"Really he's mama's boy." AJ said as he touched her stomach.

"I really wanted a boy." Punk admitted grinning. "Not that I would be upset with a girl- but I REALLY wanted a boy first."

"You got your wish." AJ said with a smile. "And since I'm carrying your son I carry two family votes and we vote no to here. Sorry." She said to the realtor.  
"Thank you for your time though."

"A son." Punk said with a big grin as he followed his wife out of the potentially haunted home.

* * *

Later that night Punk and AJ were having dinner with Jenny so they could tell her the gender of her grandchild.

"A boy." Jenny said holding back tears. "You're going to have the same bond with your son as I do mine." she told AJ who smiled.

"I hope my son is as much as mama's boy as yours is." AJ said genuinely and Punk rolled his eyes.

"I'm not a-" Punk began.

"What about names." Jenny asked AJ cutting off Punk.

"Phil doesn't want him named after himself." AJ remarked.

"He's always hated his name and I don't know why." Jenny said glaring at Punk.

"I want it to be unique but not crazy." AJ told Jenny.

"I was thinking-" Punk began.

"There are so many baby name books." Jenny said cutting Punk off again and now he was growing annoyed.

"I'm going to be busy so I really want to pick a name soon. Did you hear I'm going back to the DA's office?" AJ asked her mother-in-law.

"We didn't even discuss-" Punk began.

"That's amazing!" Jenny cheered. "You're going to have benefits that will be great for you and the baby."

"They have insurance through me." Punk said loudly. "Why are you two acting like I'm not here?"

"He's so needy." Jenny said to AJ who nodded in agreement.

"And we didn't agree on you going back there." He pointed out to AJ.

"Why don't you want me back there?" She asked Punk seriously. "You've shit on this offer that is actually incredible since I've told you."

"Because you don't want to do this." Punk said to her.

"I do, Phil." AJ told him honestly. "I need to be in the courtroom I'm going crazy in my office." She told him.

"I don't want you working with Bradford, I don't trust him." Punk lied with a shrug and Jenny eyed him.

"You're saying you don't trust your wife with her ex gay boyfriend?" Jenny asked amused.

"Did you hear me? I said it was HIM I didn't trust." Punk said to her.

"That's not true." AJ said to him. "You don't care about him. So why don't you want me going back to work? You are aware there's a daycare in my office building? Think of the money on sitters we'll be saving."

"My mom moved back to Chicago to watch the baby." Punk told her and now Jenny eyed him like he was crazy.

"I moved back here because I wanted to be close to you three, sure." Jenny agreed. "But I also have work."

"Yea and you can't expect your mom to raise our child." AJ said to him.

"I'll help out and watch whenever I'm free though." Jenny grinned. "I want as much time with my Grandson as possible."

"I thought you'd take a lot of time off after he was born?" Punk asked. "Like months."

"Weeks." AJ corrected. "I have to work. I LOVE to work. And Bradford won't overload me. And do you know how much money I'll be making while on maternity leave?"

"What's with you and money?" Punk asked with a nervous laugh. "Since when do you care?"

"Since always." AJ said slowly as if he was stupid.

"Babies are a lot of money Phillip." Jenny warned him. "Diapers, toys, clothes, gadgets, sitters, food, doctors-"

"I get it." Punk said to his mother annoyed.

"Do you?" AJ asked.

"Why are you two ganging up on me?" Punk asked them.

"No one is ganging up on you but I was offered something awesome and you're acting like this was the worth thing that could happen." AJ said to him. "We'll be fighting on the same side again too."

"I like being at odds with you when it comes to work." Punk shrugged innocently.

"He's lost his mind." Jenny said waving him off. "So, back to names..."  
Punk eyed the two women as they continued to talk as if he wasn't there.

"Once my son is born we're going to even the score." Punk whispered to himself.

"No you won't." AJ said to him. "Mama's boy will be on mama's side."

* * *

Two days later Punk was in the familiar motel room as Bradford walked inside.

"You had to offer her a job?" Punk asked.

"I thought you'd be happy." Bradford said removing jacket. "You said you were struggling money wise-"

"No I didn't!" Punk yelled defensively. "And the last thing I wanted was AJ so close to the case we're about to close."

"We are getting close." Bradford smiled happily. "A few more pieces and the puzzle is complete. We get them all."

"They're going to target her again." Punk said to him. "You should have at least waited until the case was closed.

"That can still be weeks." Bradford warned. "She wanted to come back. She has her own office."

"Yea, yea." Punk said annoyed.

"Is this because your wife will be making more than you?" Bradford asked him and Punk glared at him.

"No." He scoffed. "It's about her safety."

"She did the paperwork and she starts back tomorrow." Bradford reminded him. "She was excited."

"I know she is." Punk said to him. "I'm just worried."

"You worry a lot about a strong woman who is capable of taking care of herself." Bradford noted.

"My wife. My kid. It's a package." Punk reminded him now.

"I get it." Bradford said to him. "She's safest in my offices than in that building she was renting a room as her office."

"I just wish you could have waited until the threat was eliminated." Punk said to him.

"I need a good ADA now, not in a few weeks." Bradford told him and Punk rolled his eyes.

"You're still a selfish prick." Punk said annoyed. "I don't know what she ever saw in you."

"I must be good in bed." Bradford remarked smugly and Punk smirked.

"The way she told it, you had trouble keeping it up." Punk remarked just smugly.

"She really wasn't my type." Bradford shot back.

"True." Punk agreed standing up. "These are the files you asked for."

"Perfect." Bradford said taking the files from him. "And you're keeping your nose clean? None of these files you're pulling can be traced back to you?"

"No. I'm having rookies on paperwork doing it." Punk told him.

"Good." Bradford nodded looking at the paperwork.

"I have a meeting with another potential witness in twenty minutes." Bradford told Punk.

"I'll come with you." Punk said to him.

"No. Cops make him jumpy." Bradford said to him. "This could be a big witness though so I want you to stay by your phone tonight."

"Will do." Punk said to him.

"We're almost at the end." Bradford assured him. "Pretty soon all you have to worry about is baby diapers and nightly feedings."

"I'm looking forward to it." Punk had to admit. "I want normalcy for my son before he comes into this world."

"You're going to have peace of mind. This will be behind all of us before you know it." Bradford assured him.

* * *

"What are you doing still up?" Punk asked walking into his bedroom.

"I can't sleep I'm too excited." She said looking at her laptop.

"You're going to be tired on your big day back tomorrow." Punk warned getting into bed with her.

"I'm not excited about that." She laughed. "Well, I am but what I'm doing is shopping for baby things."

"Baby things?" He asked. "It's a bit early, no?"

"We have four months to get everything we need and we so far have nothing." She said to him. "Look at this little Blackhawks mobil for his crib." AJ said pointing at the screen and h looked at it.

"Buy it." Punk grinned.

"And then there's these awesome Superhero decals we can do in his room." She said pointing at the next item. "We can paint his room a dark blue and put the decals up."

"I love it." Punk agreed.

"And little baby sneakers." AJ said pointing again.

"You're not upset you're not having a girl?" He asked her. "I know you always wanted a daughter so you could throw it in Bonnie's face what it's like to have a real mother/daughter bond."

"That is true." AJ had to laugh. "But this boys is ours and I couldn't be more excited. I'm going to love him and still show Bonnie what it's like to have a relationship with your child. A proper one. But Bonnie isn't ever going to be around so I won't have to use him as a prop." She teased.

"She wasn't excited when you told her you were pregnant?" Punk asked curiously.

"She said 'that's nice' and then said she had to get back to her poker game." AJ told him. "I haven't heard from her since that was four weeks ago."

"She'll come around." Punk said to her.

"I don't want her to." AJ said honestly. "I need to focus on how to be a good parent to my son, I don't have time to parent my mother anymore. So, these late night meetings-"

"They're work meetings." He said to her.

"I know they are." She said to him. "But you haven't told me for what case."

"I know I haven't." He said simply.

"Are you being safe?" She asked.

"I am." He promised.

"We have a child on the way. Now isn't the time to do something foolishly heroic." She warned.

"It's all good." He assured her.

"You make me nervous." She sighed.

"You make me nervous." He argued back.

"I'm assuming whatever case you're working is why you didn't want me back in the DA's office." She said and he rolled his eyes.

"Why are you like this?" He asked annoyed. "Just focus on your job-"

"And I'll focus on mine." She finished mocking his voice. "Are jobs are connected again."

"Not this case." He said strongly. "What is your first case back?"

"Maybe I don't want to share that information." AJ shrugged childishly.

"Ape." He warned.

"DeMonaco case." She told him.

"A double homicide case." Punk said to her. "Awesome, welcome back." he told her sarcastically.

"It's a fascinating case." AJ said to him.

"The guy killed his boss and his wife because he got fired." Punk said to her waving it off. "Nothing fascinating. It's open and shut."

"He's pleading insanity. He has a solid case." AJ told Punk who laughed.

"You haven't worked a case in months so any case would be exciting." He teased.

"That's true." AJ had to admit. "I hope I still fit in my work suits." she frowned thinking about it.

"You'll fit." He said to her. "But enough shopping and stuff." he said closing her laptop. "Let's celebrate you being rich again." He teased.

"Am I your sugar mama?" She teased back and he laughed.

"Yes and I'm not too proud to admit it." He said seriously kissing her.


	29. What's In A Name

**What's In A Name**

* * *

Punk walked into his house and eyed the home as it was still perfectly in place. Nothing seemed to have been moved at all and it was as if no one was home all day. Punk tossed his keys on the counter as Larry ran over to greet him and headed up the stairs to check on his now seven months pregnant wife.

"Ape?" He asked turning on the light and seeing the bed was still made from this morning. He heard the door open downstairs and he rolled his eyes and walked to the top of the stairs.

"Shh." he heard AJ say to Larry. "Sorry I'm late." she whispered to the dog.

"April Jeanette Mendez Brooks." Punk said loudly from the top of the stairs and she froze.

"Hi, honey." AJ smiled slowly turning to look up the stairs.

"Hi." Punk said annoyed climbing back down the stairs.

"I know I said I'd pack-" She began.

"You're the one that wanted to move before the baby was born." He pointed out. "This was YOUR idea. And you said you'd be taking it easy at work and help pack here. We have to be out of here in three days and not one box has been packed."

"I'm sorry." She frowned. "I got caught up on a case but I promise I'll stay up all night packing-"

"I'm not mad you didn't pack." He said genuinely. "I'm mad that it's almost two in the morning and you were working. You're seven months pregnant." he reminded her. "You promised you'd take it easy."

"I sit behind a desk all day." She defended with a shrug.

"That's not the point." He growled. "Bed. Now."

"I can't. I have to walk Larry-" She began.

"I'm going to walk Larry." He informed her grabbing his leash and Larry went running to him.

"And I have to pack." She added and he glared at her. "The people who bought this place are moving in in three days."

"Yes, I'm aware. But I have a plan for that too. No packing tonight." He told her hooking Larry on his leash.

"And I have to eat." She added quietly and he looked at her annoyed.

"Tell me you went all day without eating." he practically warned her.

"All I did was eat." She told him honestly. "But that's all I want to do and I haven't eaten since eight and I'm starving."

"I'll pick you up something." He told her. "Pizza?"

"Ugh." She said disgusted as she removed her jacket.

"That's literally the only thing opened at this time." He reminded her.

"McDonalds is twenty-four hours." AJ smiled hopefully. "I would have picked it up on my way but I wanted to get home before you."

"I'll get your usual." He said. "And something for myself because I'm starving too."

"Is it time for me to berate you about not eating?" She asked placing her hands on her hips.

"When I'm carrying our child, then yes you can." He mocked.

"What's your packing plan?" She asked. "I didn't want to spend our whole day off tomorrow packing."

"It's a good plan and one for you to not worry about." He told her.

"We also have to go over to the new house and make sure the gas is on and water-" She began.

"I did that during my lunch." He told her and she smiled.

"You really are an amazing husband." AJ smiled. "And you've been so busy on that secret case-"

"Gotta go." Punk said quickly.

"I'll just ask Bradford about it." AJ said before he left. "That is who you've been meeting once a week, sometimes twice. It was easy to figure out when he leaves the office the same time as you would leave home or take a break from work."

"I thought I was the Detective." Punk teased.

"Phil." She warned.

"It's a case. It's private." He told her simply.

"It's about Calderon and Henderson-" AJ began.

"Ape, no." Punk laughed. "Let's not rock the boat. Everything has been going very smoothly for months and I'd like to keep it that way."

"But-" She began.

"Lock this behind me." He told her as he walked out the door with Larry.

* * *

The next morning AJ woke up in bed alone. After eating last night she jumped Punk's poor tired bones and was exhausted. She looked at the time and saw it was almost one in the afternoon and nearly jumped out of bed.

"I have so much to do." She hissed to herself as she ran into the bathroom to pee.

AJ waddled down the stairs and froze when she the house filled with people packing everything up. Some people she knew, some she didn't.

"Phil?" AJ asked and Punk walked over and helped her down the rest of the stairs.

"Did you know you can hire people to pack for you?" He asked her amused.

"You didn't offer me shit." Cody huffed carrying a box across the room.

"Hush you." Maria scolded following him.

"You need to throw this out." Jenny said walking over with a box.

"That's my baseball stuff from when I played as a kid. I'm passing it down to my son." Punk told his mother.

"It's dirty." Jenny pointed out.

"It's iconic." he said to her and she rolled her eyes.

"They'll be done by the end of the day." Punk told AJ.

"I have to help-" She began.

"No you don't." He told her. "You're seven months pregnant you're going to rest. This is your first day off in two weeks."

"I can still do things." AJ mumbled.

"Yes you can." Punk agreed passing her his phone. "Order lunch."

"Ok." She grinned. "I'm starving."

"I meant for everyone, not just you." He teased.

"Oh, right." She said with half a smile.

"Wow." Bradford remarked walking into the packed townhouse.

"Oh, fuck off." Punk said to him before AJ could see him. "She's worked for two weeks straight and you kept her at work until two last night this is her day off."

"I'm not here to bother AJ." Bradford said to him. "And I didn't make her stay last night. Even I left at 11." he scoffed.

"What do you want?" Punk asked.

"I do need to talk to her, and you." Bradford said professionally.

"I told you not to bring up what we're working on." Punk warned him quietly.

"It's not that." Bradford said to him. "It's involving a case the three of us thought we closed over a year ago."

"What are you talking about?" Punk asked narrowing his eyes.

"William Devile." Bradford said and Punk eyed him.

"He was sentenced to five years." Punk reminded him.

"He was released months ago." Bradford informed him. "I only found out this morning."

"How is that fucking possible?" Punk asked.

"Turns out a respected police officer claimed Mr. Devile was working with him on an undercover case to help get a bigger fish." Bradford told him. "That's how I heard about this. He did assist."

"Henderson?" Punk asked in almost a whisper and Bradford nodded. "Son of a bitch."

"Hey." AJ greeted walking over. "Were the reports not right?"

"No they were fine." Bradford said. "I was just telling Punk how William Devile has been released from prison."

"What?" AJ asked stunned. "How is that possible?"

"He's been out a while. It's nothing for you to worry about." Punk assured her brushing it off.

"Phil-" She began.

"Seriously, Ape." Punk said to her. "Tell her." He said to Bradford.

"It's true." Bradford played along.

"How come I wasn't notified?" She asked. "As the victim I should have received a letter from your office."

"I didn't even know." Bradford told her. "I would have informed you immediately."

"How could you not have been notified unless it was a matter of life or death-" She began.

"Ape, it's not a big deal." Punk said to her and AJ narrowed her eyes at him.

"How could you say that? The man almost raped me in my own home. He drugged me. He assaulted me-" AJ rambled off.

"I'm not saying that what he did wasn't wrong. But clearly he got a second chance at freedom and is taking it seriously." Punk lied.

"Really?" AJ asked.

"Really." He confirmed.

"The man ripped my clothes off and you're not even turning red that he's walking around free?" She asked.

"That should prove to you how I don't see this as a threat." Punk shrugged simply trying to remain cool.

"Did you ever hear the story of Richie Blundetto?" AJ asked Bradford and Punk glared at her.

"No." Bradford said shaking his head.

* * *

" _It's 100 degrees out." AJ groaned as she walked around the rock festival with Punk. Riot Fest was Punk's favorite time of year. And he always dragged AJ with him because she was always a sucker and stay until the last performance which was always late._

" _It's not." Punk said walking over to a vendor and paying for a bottle of water. "Here." He said passing it to her._

" _It's warm." She pouted._

" _Come on, Ape. One more set and I'll take you home." Punk said walking ahead as she slowly trailed behind him._

" _Yea, yea." She mumbled. "You're lucky I love you."_

 _"Yea, blessed." he mocked. "We're too far from the stage, come on."_

 _"I'm following." 19 year old AJ groaned trying to keep up._

" _I need new friends." He mumbled to himself._

 _"I heard that!" AJ scolded from behind him as she caught up._

 _Five more minutes of walking and they made it to the final stage but all the way in the back._

" _I can't see the stage." Punk groaned._

" _Me either." AJ complained._

" _Well, you're short." He shrugged. "You wouldn't see it how close you were regardless."_

 _"Asshole." She muttered sipping her water._

" _You know-" Punk began but stopped when he heard AJ._

" _Excuse you." AJ gasped and Punk turned his head._

" _What?" The drunk man laughed._

" _You just grabbed my ass." AJ argued narrowing her eyes._

" _My hand slipped." The man laughed._

" _Fuck." Punk muttered. This was going to end in a fight and all he wanted was to see this show._

 _AJ slapped the man hard across the face and Punk's jaw dropped in shock._

" _My hand slipped." AJ mocked and the man raised his hand next and Punk tackled him to the ground._

* * *

"Phil beat that guy for just touching my ass. He could have gotten kicked off the force for it." AJ told Bradford.

"He was about to hit you." Punk argued.

"Why don't you care about William Devile being out? Or better question, why are you lying about caring?" She asked.

"I should go." Bradford said uncomfortably. "I don't want to see you back in the office until next week."

"Phil." AJ said to Punk who eyed her.

"It's fine." Punk assured her. "We have a lot going on. We're moving, our son is on his way and that's what we need to worry about."

"I won't be able to concentrate on that." AJ said to Punk. "William Devile is evil."

"I know what he is." Punk said to her. "And I'm going to take care of it, I always take care of it, don't I?"

"I just wanted to have our son in peace." AJ said to him.

"Have you seen Devile anywhere?" He asked her and she shook her head. "Think about it." He whispered. "Are you sure?"

"I haven't been looking out for him but if I saw the man I put in prison walking around free I would have called." She mocked.

"We're fine." He assured her kissing the top of her head.

"For the first time in my entire life I don't believe you." She said simply then walked away.

* * *

Punk walked into a flashy high end club in the heart of the City. He flashed his badge to get in. This was William Devile's spot. He made his way through the crowd and to the back of the VIP section where William was sitting alone drinking champagne.

"Came to welcome me home?" William asked him.

"Came to ask what the fuck you think you're doing?" Punk asked slapping the glass out of his hand.

"Hey, I paid my debt to society." William reminded him.

"No you didn't. Henderson got you out and I want to know what you promised him in return of that." Punk said standing over him.

"I helped him solve a big case." William laughed a bit.

"I'm here to give you one warning-" Punk began quietly.

"Don't come around or you'll throw me back in prison, yea I already know." William scoffed and Punk grabbed him by the collar of his shirt so he was on his feet.

"If you come within one mile of my wife I will kill you." Punk threatened coldly. "You won't be going back to prison, you'll be getting buried in your family plot." He hissed. "Do you understand me?"

"I don't want anything to do with her." William defended. "I don't mess around with pregnant chicks anyway-"

"How did you know she was pregnant?" Punk asked wrapping his hand around his throat. "Huh?"

"Can't talk." William choked out.

"I should just kill you right here." Punk hissed.

"In a crowded club?" A voice asked behind Punk. "That seems foolish."

"Henderson." Punk remarked releasing William who fell into his seat and gasped for air.

"Detective." Henderson greeted coolly. "Is there a reason you're harassing my CI?"

"Yea, your CI." Punk smirked. "You fucked up with this one." he warned the Detective. "You pushed me too far."

"He is no threat to you or your wife." Henderson assured him.

"Right." Punk said nodding as he passed him. "Remember what I said." He said to William.

* * *

Punk made it home later that night with a bag in his hand and the place was almost completely packed up.

"Still mad at me?" Punk asked poking his head into the bedroom and she didn't even look up. "I have ice cream." He said holding the bag and she looked up with wide eyes.

"What was that?" She asked innocently.

"Peanut butter cup sundae." He grinned pulling it out of the bag. "Extra hot fudge and peanut butter cups"

"Amazing." She grinned pulling the top off of it.

"We're going to be ok." he said getting into the bed next to her.

"I know." She whispered as she ate her ice cream. "I just want everything to be normal and perfect before he gets here." She said referring to their son. "I don't want him born into madness."

"He won't be." Punk said brushing it off. "Have I ever let anyone hurt you?"

"No." She said with a soft smile.

"I'm going to keep that record strong." He teased. "For you and him."

"What about yourself?" She questioned. "I don't need you be reckless. I need you be here helping us."

"And I will be." He said to her. "I have too much to lose."

"Do you really feel that way?" She asked.

"Yes." he said to her. "I've had your back since you were five and I'm always going to have it."

"What are you working on with Bradford?" She asked.

"We're working on building a case against Calderon and tying Henderson into it." Punk told her and she nodded. "It's not easy and we have to make sure we have something on all key players or this would all be pointless."

"That can take a really long time." She warned him.

"I'm a patient man." He shrugged and she laughed.

"You are anything but." She said amused. "But that's cute. I'm just worried."

"Stop." He groaned.

"I can't." She pouted.

"You need to worry about baby names and less about Henderson and Devile." He said to her.

"We are getting close to my due date." She agreed. "It's you who is difficult."

"I'm not naming my first born son Jester." He said in disbelief of the name she was stunned he hated.

"What's wrong with it!" She yelled and he laughed.

"It's terrible." He smirked.

"It's better than Duncan." She muttered as she took a spoon full of her ice cream.

"Duncan is awesome." He insisted.

"It's not." She said to him and passed him her notepad.

"I still like Maxwell." Punk said.

"I did too but I changed my mind." She shrugged and Punk rolled his eyes.

"What the hell is this?" He asked looking at the new names she added to the 'maybe' list. "Silas?"

"It's sophisticated." She argued and watched him cross it off.

"Worse than Jester." He said shaking his head. "This one isn't so bad."

"Kaden?" She asked hopefully.

"It's better than your other names." He said to her. "I still like Leo too."

"I like that one too." She sighed dramatically. "Maybe we should let him pick his name."

"Don't be ridiculous babies can't do that." He said annoyed and she rolled her eyes. "Like, I like Kaden a lot."

"But to say that's his name seems so final." she agreed.

"So we don't have to decide tonight." He said passing her back the notepad.

"We can't wait too much longer. I wanted to get him stuff for his nursery with his name." She said to him.

"We'll decide by the end of the week." He said to her. "But this is the only thing I want you worrying about."

"I can't help but to worry about the other stuff." She said to him.

"You're going to have to try. I have everything under control. You have work, moving and the whole responsibility of carrying our son to worry about." He reminded her. "When do you take leave from work."

"All finished." AJ said passing him the empty plastic bowl and turning off the light.

"Ape." He warned. "When did you tell Bradford you were-" he began but she began to fake snore. "You really don't think I'm buying that, do you?" he asked but she continued to ignore him. "You are a pain in the ass." He hissed annoyed.

"But you love me." She whispered almost smugly.

"Yea I know." He said rolling over and kissing her cheek.

* * *

 **A/N: Send in your baby name ideas!**


	30. Covered In Your Blood

**Covered In Your Blood**

* * *

AJ was at her new home slowly unpacking. Bradford had sent AJ on her maternity leave a few weeks early and AJ was sure it was at Punk's urging. She also promised Punk she wouldn't unpack a thing but she couldn't just sit around for six weeks waiting for the baby to arrive. The house her and Phil moved into was very modest and a lucky break. It was in foreclosure so they ended up with a four bedroom home, three level townhouse in an excellent part of the city. It wasn't their dream home but there was a yard big enough for Larry and their son, in a nice school district and low crime rate. She wished now she didn't choose to move before the baby arrived since their were so many stairs in the house.

"Are you hungry?" AJ asked Larry after unpacking one box and she had to sit. "I'm sweating and I only unpacked one box. I'm going to need food." She said to her dog who barked. The doorbell rang and AJ groaned at the thought of having to get up and answer then remembered she left the door unlocked. "It's open!"

"Is that really safe?" Bonnie asked walking into her daughters home and AJ's mouth opened in shock.

"What the hell are you doing here?" AJ asked not even trying to stand up.

"Well, when you told me you were pregnant a few weeks ago I didn't think you were about to pop." Bonnie said removing her jacket and tossing it onto the couch.

"I'm not ready to pop." AJ scoffed.

"Look at you! You have to be nine months." Bonnie argued. "You're huge."

"I'm just about eight months." AJ said annoyed. "Thanks for making me feel like shit."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Bonnie demanded to know.

"Why didn't you come to the baby shower?" AJ asked back.

"The baby shower you told me about when you called? I wasn't even in town!" Bonnie argued. "You know I've been in Vegas and it's not cheap to fly. Took me weeks to save up."

"Right." AJ snorted.

"I mean it April." Bonnie said to her. "You can't cut me out of your life right when you're about to have my grandchild."

"Since when do you care? You never wanted to be a mother why would you want to be a grandmother?" She asked exhausted.

"You really need to let some of this anger go." Bonnie said sitting down in Punk's chair. "I was 16 when I got pregnant with you." she reminded AJ. "I was still a kid!"

"You still act like a kid." AJ mumbled.

"I'm not perfect and I'm sure I won't be the perfect grandmother but I'm willing to try." Bonnie insisted.

"Look, I have a connection with my son already. One where I will kill anyone who hurts him and I won't risk you hurting him like you've hurt me." AJ said to her.

"I've never laid a hand on you, you always had a roof over your head." Bonnie argued.

"You weren't a mother." AJ said simply. "Jenny was a mother."

"I suppose Jenny gets to be a Grandmother but I don't." Bonnie scoffed.

"Jenny is moving back to Chicago to be close to her grandchild." AJ shrugged. "Jenny used to do my hair and taught me about my first period and protected me and bought me shoes so I wouldn't get picked on. She made sure I had a hot meal every night."

"That's fair." Bonnie said quietly. "I protected you. Remember when that one guy I was with tried to slap you?"

"I do remember and he did slap me." AJ said to her. "A horrible memory of a strange man raising his hand to me is the only decent memory I have of you. I remember when your boyfriend kept walking in on me in the shower."

"You didn't tell me things!" Bonnie nearly cried.

"I did tell you!" AJ yelled back. "You didn't believe me!"

"That's not true!" Bonnie yelled back. "I believed you and I broke it off with him."

"Yet he still came by to sleep with you constantly then still walked in on me." AJ groaned. "Do you know how violating that was?"

"I don't remember a lot of that time." Bonnie mumbled to herself.

"I do." AJ said to her.

* * *

" _I'm going to call the police!" AJ yelled storming out of her bedroom with damp hair and just a towel wrapped around her body. She was only 15 but she had enough of Bonnie's boy toy 'accidentally' walking in on her._

" _And tell them what? I don't knock before I walk in?" Barry asked innocently._

" _You're right." AJ nodded grabbing her phone. "I'll call someone else."_

" _I hope it's not your little boyfriend. I don't want him to think the wrong thing." Barry laughed._

" _Phil isn't my boyfriend!" AJ yelled. "He's a cop now, did you know that?"_

 _"Is he going to arrest himself for screwing a 15 year old when he's an old man?" Barry teased._

" _He's 20 and we're not sleeping together." AJ said annoyed._

" _Relax, I'll knock next time." Barry smirked sitting on the couch._

" _I want you leave!" AJ yelled pointing to the door. "Bonnie isn't here and she probably won't be back for a few days."_

" _Bonnie said I could crash here." Barry informed her turning on the TV but AJ shut it off._

" _No she didn't." AJ said to him. "Leave!"_

 _Just then the door opened and it was Jenny holding a plate of food._

" _What's this?" Jenny asked walking further inside. "Who is this? And why aren't you dressed?"_

" _This is Bonnie's friend, Barry." AJ said to Jenny who nodded as she put the dish down. "He won't leave."_

 _"Won't leave?" Jenny asked innocently then looked at Barry who stood up._

" _Bonnie said I could stay here." Barry told her._

" _Where is your mother?" Jenny asked AJ but not taking her eyes off Barry._

" _She's at work." AJ said folding her arms._

" _Then it's highly inappropriate for you to be under the same roof as Bonnie's 15 year old child." Jenny informed Barry sternly. "Get out." she said calmly._

" _I have an understanding with Bonnie." Barry told her._

" _Bonnie wouldn't let him stay here without her she knows he's a dirty perv who keeps walking in on me." AJ said shooting Barry a glare._

" _Oh, this is the boyfriend?" Jenny asked AJ who nodded. "I suggest you leave before I get my son, the cop, upstairs."_

" _I'm not going anywhere. Bonnie offered me a place to crash and I'm crashing." Barry said simply._

" _I have an obligation to protect AJ and I'm not leaving her alone with you." Jenny told him._

" _So take her upstairs to your apartment." Barry shrugged. "She's a pain in the ass."_

" _How dare you." Jenny scolded._

" _This is enough." AJ said annoyed and grabbed his arm. "Get out!" she yelled and he jerked his arm away causing petite AJ to hit the floor hard._

 _Before AJ knew it Jenny was slapping and scratching Barry who wouldn't dare hit her back._

" _Get out, get out, get out!" Jenny hissed slapping at the man._

" _Ape?" Punk asked seeing her on the floor walking into the apartment. "Ma!" Punk yelled pulling his mother off the man._

" _I'm going." The man said not realizing Punk was such a built and intimidating 20 year old._

" _What was that?" Punk asked the two._

" _Are you alright?" Jenny asked helping AJ up._

 _"Yea." AJ said rubbing her backside. "My ass took the worst of it."_

 _"What the hell just happened?" Punk demanded to know._

" _Thanks for not leaving me alone with him." AJ said to Jenny who kissed her cheek._

" _Never." Jenny smiled._

* * *

"I didn't say he could stay there." Bonnie said to her. "And I am grateful to Jenny for stepping up while I worked like crazy to keep us in a home."

"Jenny worked too." AJ said rolling her eyes.

"She also got child support." Bonnie argued.

"So did you! You just blew it all on yourself." AJ laughed trying to stand up.

"Where are you going?" Bonnie asked watching her daughter.

"I have a cramp so I have to walk around." AJ said rubbing her belly.

"Are you sure it's a cramp?" Bonnie asked and AJ glared at her.

"Probably stress. Maybe you should go." AJ said to her and Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"I'm just sitting here." Bonnie sighed dramatically. "I want to be part of my grandchild's life!"

"I really don't have time for this, Bonnie." AJ groaned miserably.

"Maybe you should pay attention to your body." Bonnie said standing up. "I went into early labor with you."

"Because you were careless." AJ scoffed.

"I was not! I didn't have a drink or one puff of a cigarette. I took all my vitamins and went to all my birthing classes." Bonnie informed her seriously "I had full intentions of being a good mother. And I was for the first few years but I slipped up! Ok? I didn't have the best example. My parents threw me out when I got pregnant with you. My mother hated us. My mother always hated me actually."

"Why are you making this about you?" AJ asked annoyed rubbing her stomach still. "Come on kid." She whispered to her stomach.

"I'm taking you to the hospital." Bonnie said to her.

"No." AJ said grabbing her cellphone. "I'm going to call my doctor and if he feels I have to go to the hospital I will call my husband to take me."

"Well I'm not leaving." Bonnie said stubbornly.

* * *

Meanwhile Punk was across town about to meet with Bradford. He walked into their motel room and found Bradford laying on the floor with a pool of blood puddling beneath him.

"Bradford!" Punk yelled rushing and kneeling down.

Punk felt for a pulse and there was a weak one.

"This is officer Brooks, shield number 434218, I have a man down at 32 Vahrooes road in the motel room 15." he spoke into his phone. "He has..." Punk inspected and cringed. "Multiple stab wounds to the abdomen." Punk dropped his phone and reached for a towel. "Stay with me." he said to Bradford.

"I didn't talk." Bradford choked out. "I never talked."

"Save your breath." Punk insisted.

"Those two rookies." Bradford whispered.

"What two rookies?" Punk asked as Bradford began to close his eyes and Punk gently slapped his face. "Cops did this?"

"April's rookies." Bradford said weakly.

"Fuck!" Punk yelled as Bradford's eyes rolled to the back of his head.

"Punk!" Cody yelled and rushed in.

"Where's the ambulance!" Punk yelled looking back trying to keep pressure on the wound.

"It's right behind me." Cody said. "What the fuck happened?"

"Those two rookies that Ape had the run in with." Punk said to him and Cody eyed him. "Henderson's guys."

"In here!" Cody yelled and EMT's ran inside.

"We need this entire room cleaned down for DNA." Punk told Cody as he let the EMT's do their job.

"He was just talking but he closed his eyes." Punk told the EMT.

"No heartbeat, no pulse." The EMT said to the other.

"I didn't realize you were still working the Henderson case." Cody said to him.

"No one fucking did that was the point! Except someone obviously did since Bradford got attacked in our meeting spot." Punk hissed at himself angrily.

"Do you have files?" Cody asked.

"He had the files but he wasn't keeping them in the office I'm not sure where he was keeping them." Punk said to him. "He told me he didn't talk."

"So he didn't give up the hiding spot." Cody said to him. "This won't be in vain if we can find those files."

"I don't know where the fuck he would keep them." Punk said annoyed and looked down as the EMT's tried to save Bradford.

"I bet someone who was going to marry him does." Cody hinted and Punk looked back at him.

"Ape." Punk nodded in agreement. "She would know."

"He's gone." The EMT said looking up at him. "I'm sorry."

"Fuck." Punk said kicking himself. "He was just up!"

"I'm sorry Detective." The EMT said shaking his head. "Too much blood loss. But we'll take him to the hospital so he can be autopsied."

"We were so fucking close." Punk said to Cody.

"Too close." Cody corrected. "Now we have a dead DA and as sad as that is that's going to help this case along. Let's hope these fuckers left some DNA evidence behind."

"Get one of them to crack." Punk nodded in agreement. "I pushed him into helping me with this. I told him it was to protect AJ."

"And I'm sure he agreed to it." Cody said to him. "He did love her at some point too."

"How the fuck am I going to tell AJ?" Punk asked him.

What Punk didn't realize was that his phone, which was on vibrate and laying under the bed since he dropped while trying to help Bradford was going off nonstop with calls from AJ herself.

* * *

AJ had to let Bonnie take her to the hospital once her water broke early. She was terrified and kept trying to call Punk.

"I tried Cody four times myself." Maria said walking into AJ's room. "He's not picking up."

"What about the station?" AJ asked her. "They can get in touch with Phil."

"They're trying." Maria assured her. "You need to relax."

"I can't! I'm in early labor!" AJ cried.

"It's alright." Bonnie assured her and AJ rolled her eyes.

"What about Jenny?" AJ asked Maria. "She's in New York this week but I called and she's on her way but she has to way for a flight."

"Oh my god." AJ cried.

"The doctor is trying to stop your labor so focus on that." Bonnie said to her.

"Something is wrong with my son and I need my husband here to tell me that, not you." AJ snapped.

"Well, clearly he's too busy for you right now." Bonnie shot back and AJ's face fell.

"She doesn't mean that." Maria assured her.

"No, not her." AJ said annoyed. "He wouldn't just ignore my calls. Something is wrong." She said beginning to cry.

"No, no, no." Maria said shaking her head.

"I can feel it, that's why my stomach was hurting and that's why this is happening!" AJ yelled. "Something happened to him-"

"Don't be so dramatic April." Bonnie sighed. "He's a cop! He's probably arresting people or something!"

"He probably dropped his phone. You know he does that a lot." Maria reminded her.

"If something happened to him-" She began.

"You need to relax." Bonnie ordered her sternly. "Your doctor said you will go into full labor if you don't! Why are you risking your child's health!"

"Because my husband is missing!" AJ yelled.

"You're not helping." Maria said calmly to Bonnie. "I've left messages with everyone. They're going to get in touch with Punk. If Cody can't be reached that means they're together and if something happened we would have heard."

"That's true." AJ said nodding. "Right? We would have been first contacted and they're partners so they're together."

"Yes." Maria assured her.

"Can you try calling the station again?" AJ asked crying still. "I really need him and I need to know he's ok-"

"Ok, ok." Maria said pulling out her phone. "I'll have to go outside the service here is awful.

"Can you take Bonnie with you?" AJ asked hopefully clutching Maria's hand.

"I'm not going anywhere." Bonnie said sitting down next to AJ's bed.

"Just tune her out." Maria whispered. "I'll be right back."

As soon as Maria walked through the ER doors she saw Punk and Cody walking in.

"Hey!" Maria yelled annoyed. "Why didn't you call to tell me you were on your way? AJ is freaking out!"

"AJ?" Punk asked. "What are you talking about?"

"We've been calling you! Her water broke!" Maria yelled and his face dropped.

"My phone." Punk said feeling around his pockets.

"Why are you covered in blood?" Maria asked noting Punk's white t-shirt had blood all over it. "Were you hurt?"

"It's not his, is AJ alright?" Cody asked.

"No! Like I said her water broke and the doctor gave her drugs to stop the labor from progressing but she's so worried because she thinks something happened to you!" Maria yelled.

"What room is she in?" Punk asked.

"124A." Maria told him and he rushed in. "What the hell happened today?"

"Bradford was killed." Cody whispered and Maria gasped. "Him and Punk were getting too close to getting Calderon and Henderson I guess."

"Oh my god." Maria said tearing up. "He's really dead?"

"Yea." Cody said to her. "We came here to meet with the doctors while they did the autopsy but I think Punk is going to be busy."

"You can't tell her. She can't have this kind of stress! She was going to marry the man!" Maria insisted.

"We won't tell her." Cody assured her. "But you should go be with her, I'll come by and check in but I've got to wait to talk to this doctor."

"He's really gone?" Maria asked.

"Hey, you need to get in check, AJ needs you." Cody reminded her.

"He wasn't a bad man!" Maria insisted. "He was good to AJ for the most part- he-"

"I know." Cody said kissing her head. "We'll get the guys. Just be there for your friend."

"Be careful." Maria whispered and then walked back inside.

* * *

"Ape?" Punk asked rushing in the room.

"Thank god." AJ sighed with relief and he grabbed her hand.

Bonnie noticed the blood on his shirt but didn't say a word since AJ hadn't noticed it.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"My water broke. The doctor said-" She began and stopped. "I don't even know I'm all over the place."

"I'll talk to the doctor." Punk said to her.

"She needs to relax. Her water broke and she started having contractions and even though the baby is a good size it's still too early for him to be born so the doctor gave her some drugs but she really needs to relax for the most part." Bonnie told him.

"Why is she here?" Punk asked AJ.

"I have a name." Bonnie reminded him. "It's mom." She smirked at Punk and AJ had to laugh.

"It's been all day." AJ said to Punk. "But I don't even care I'm so relieved you're here. I thought something happened to you."

"No. I'm fine." He promised her. "What were you doing when this happened?"

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Your water didn't just magically break did it?" He asked.

"I was doing nothing! I was unpacking a bit." She told him.

"Unpacking?" He asked coldly. "What did I-"

"No stress." Bonnie reminded them both with a smile. "No bickering."

"Yea." AJ said to him. "You can't scold me for anything until your son stops trying to break out of me."

"Fine." Punk said letting it go.

"Her doctor is out of town so Doctor Guerrero is taking after her. He's in the hospital now I'm sure a nurse will page him for you." Bonnie said to him.

"Good." Punk said then kissed AJ. "Can you behave for the five minutes I'll be gone?"

"I'm fine now." AJ said resting back in the bed. "You're here and everything is going to be ok." She said more to herself rubbing her belly. "Be good little boy, daddy is here now." She told her stomach as she tried to sooth herself.

The second Punk stepped out of the room he felt someone grab his arm.

"I suggest you clean yourself up." Bonnie whispered to him so AJ wouldn't hear inside and Punk looked down and saw the blood. "She doesn't need added stress."

"It's very odd timing the second you show up she goes into early labor." Punk said back to her.

"I got her here! She didn't even want to come to the hospital!" Bonnie argued.

"This is about AJ, not you." Punk reminded her. "First thing you say out of line I'm having you thrown out." he warned his mother-in-law.

"I'm just trying to be supportive. I don't want her to go into early labor." Bonnie defended.

"Again, this is about her not you." Punk said to Bonnie.

"Just clean your shirt up." Bonnie said to him. "I know being a cop is who you are but being a husband and now father is who you're going to be for the rest of your life. Don't screw up like me." she warned him then went back inside.

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Punk asked as AJ opened her eyes after falling a sleep for a few hours. It had to be the middle of the night she thought to herself.

"Good." AJ said offering him a smile and he kissed her hand. "Did you sleep?"

"No. I've been watching you like a creep. Looks like the drugs are working." He said to her and AJ smiled.

"Where's Bonnie?" AJ asked.

"Maria took her home." Punk said to her. "You ok with Bonnie?"

"I don't care. I'm just relieved you're ok." She said to him. "I was scared when I couldn't get you."

"I dropped my phone at a scene I called for backup and I put my phone down and forgot it." He said shaking his head. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok. You get a pass because I'm so relieved you're ok." She said to him. "What happened?"

"I can't get into right now, babe." He said to her as he held onto her hand.

"Are you in danger?" AJ asked fearfully.

"No." He answered quickly and she let out a breath. "Stuff did happen- not to me or Cody- and I do have to talk to you about it but now isn't the time or place."

"That's very ominous." AJ said with a sarcastic laugh. "Tell me."

"You're hooked up to machines and have to keep your stress down." He said to her.

"I saw the blood on your shirt." She said to him. "Was it yours?"

"Babe, not a scratch on me." He told her honestly.

"That's all I care about." AJ said to him. "Was it your dad?"

"No." He said shaking his head and AJ swallowed a lump in her throat and he saw a tear escape her eye.

"Did he suffer?" She asked.

"Who?" He asked.

"Bradford." AJ said looking at him and he looked down but kept a hold of her hand. "It had to be. You were working with him."

"I'm sorry, Ape." he said genuinely and she just nodded as she cried quietly. "Please-"

"I'm not getting worked up." She assured him cutting him off. "I just need to digest this."

"Ape." He said eyeing her blood pressure that was slowly rising.

"Just give me a few minutes." She said to him.

"He wouldn't want you to make yourself sick." He warned her. "He wouldn't want you putting your child at risk."

"I'm trying." AJ said sucking in a breath and trying to force herself not to cry. "I knew something was wrong. I felt it."

"Ape, I'll tell you everything once you're in the clear." He promised her.

"You're in danger too then." She said to him and he shook his head.

"What happened to Bradford was awful, but there's a mess of evidence. As we speak they're getting ready to arrest a lot of dangerous people." Punk said to her.

"Calderon and Henderson?" AJ asked and Punk nodded.

"But I do have to ask, Bradford had files that will really solidify this case and make it ironclad but I don't know where he kept the files." Punk said to her.  
"Cody checked his office and couldn't find them."

"Big case files like that were never kept in the office." AJ told him. "Especially if he thought there was a security risk. He has a safe at his apartment. It's hidden in his bookcase. The safe combination is 32-4-1." she told him and Punk wrote it down with his free hand. "That's where the files will be."

"Good." He said then kissed her hand.

"You're going to stay here with me, right?" She asked sadly.

"I'm not going anywhere." Punk swore. "As long as you're in this hospital, I'm in it too."

"I love you." AJ said choking back tears. "I'm scared for you."

"I'm right here." He said with a smile and stood up and kissed her chapped lips. "We're going to be fine. This is going to be all over before you get discharged. And then I'm going to take time off and watch you like a hawk until you go into proper labor."

"I'm tired." AJ sighed. "But I'm afraid if I fall asleep I'll wake up and you'll be gone."

"I'll be right here. You can hold onto my hand." He offered. "You know my favorite past time is watching you sleep anyway."

"Creep." She smiled through her tears.

"We need to stop calling me a creep in front of my son." Punk said placing his free hand on her belly. "Be good for mommy." He warned his son and kissing her belly. "Sleep." he told AJ. "The medicine is supposed to make you tired."

"Don't leave." She requested again.

"I couldn't even if I had to." He said honestly. "I'm too hooked on you." He teased lightly and she smiled as she closed her eyes.


	31. Rainy Days

**Rainy Days**

* * *

AJ was sitting in her new home looking out the rainy window with swollen eyes. Although things ended badly with Bradford he was still a man she loved and planned on marrying at one point. Aside from his secret that he kept from everyone he was good to her. He helped her in her career, he lavished her with presents, respected her. She was crushed that he met such a violent end. He was at his core a good honorable man who deserved so much better. He didn't deserve to die alone in a seedy motel. He dedicated his life to protecting the citizens of this City.

Today was his funeral and it was also the day after AJ was released from the hospital. She wanted to go so badly but Punk actually forbid her. Normally forbidding her would only encourage her to do what she wanted more, she decided to let Punk win this one since she was on permanent bed rest. They stopped her labor but she wasn't allowed to do anything but go to the bathroom practically. They didn't want to chance her going into labor again. Punk promised to represent them both at the funeral as long as she promised to stay in either bed or on the couch.

"Here." Jenny said walking over with a mug. "Tea."

"I can't drink anything." AJ said cleaning off her face.

"You need to put something into your body. Tea and crackers. It's light." Jenny frowned sitting next to her.

"I told you I can't." AJ said turning her head stubbornly.

"I don't think making yourself and your child is sick is the way to properly honor Bradford." Jenny scolded gently.

Jenny had promised to stay with Punk and AJ until the baby was born. She loved having someone to take care of and AJ needed all the help she could get. Bonnie wasn't a solution, she drove AJ insane so Jenny was the perfect fit.

"I just don't think I could keep anything down not even tea." AJ insisted.

"Sweetheart, now is the time where you have to step up and be a mom." Jenny told her sweetly. "You need to eat for him."

"I just-" AJ began and started to cry again.

"Phil said there's a ton of DNA evidence." Jenny reminded her. "They'll be making arrests tonight."

"Why not sooner?" AJ asked. "And what happens when they realize Phil was in on this? They're going to kill him too."

"No." Jenny said shaking her head.

"I should have went to Florida and stayed there." AJ said shaking her head as she wept. "I never should have stayed here. I'm going to get Phil killed just like Bradford."

"I-" Jenny began.

"Can you give us a minute?" Punk asked walking into the room in his black suit.

"Sure." Jenny said and kissed the side of AJ's head first.

"How was it?" AJ asked.

"Sad." He said taking the seat his mother was in. "But a lot of people showed. A lot of people he protected showed up. His death won't be in vain." He assured her. "If you went to Florida and stayed you wouldn't be having a baby and married to me."

"You'd be alive." She challenged back.

"Ape, am I not breathing?" He smirked a bit.

"Bradford-" She began.

"Bradford was being blackmailed because of his secrets, not yours. It had nothing to do with you." Punk assured her. "Bradford new the risks. Bradford left a load of evidence behind. Everyone is going to pay."

"How?" She asked him sadly.

"We're getting them all." He told her.

"Calderon?" She asked and Punk nodded.

"Even Henderson." Punk told her. "The two rookies who assaulted you, they're the ones who killed Bradford. Bradford named them before he died."

"Oh my god." AJ whispered stunned.

"We picked them up yesterday and they sung." He said to her. "We have enough to lock them all up for life."

"Those bastards." AJ hissed. "How good of a deal did they get for ratting?"

"They're going to jail until they die. But they'll be more comfortable." Punk said to her. "I wasn't going to lessen jail time on two former cops who killed a City official."

"Good." AJ said slightly relieved. "Are you going on the raids?"

"No." Punk told her and she was surprised. "I promised I'd be here with you. Let Cody make the arrests."

"Really?" She asked fully relieved now.

"I can't have you at home stressing about me." He said with a light smile and she kissed him.

"I can't believe those two rookies." AJ said to him disgusted and Punk just nodded. "What?"

"It scares me to know what they were capable of and you were in their sights." He told her honestly. "They told Cody that they were supposed to kill you last year." He said to her and she eyed him. "When they came to the house after I was shot?"

"Oh, right." She said remembering.

"Henderson wanted you out because you were digging into them. But when they came to the door and I was there-" He began.

"You scared them." She finished for him. "They knew you wouldn't let them touch me."

"Damn straight." He said seriously. "If I wasn't shot and at home resting this could have had a very different ending."

"Are you saying you being shot saved my life?" She asked amused.

"Yea." He said innocently and she laughed.

"Maybe I could have taken them." She suggested.

"Babe, these guys are fucking strong." He told her. "Bradford couldn't even put up much of a fight."

"What about your dad? Why did they target him?" She asked.

"Me." He said to her simply. "They wanted to send me a message and used my dad to do it. They started targeting you constantly to get into my head and distract me. They had plans to kidnap you."

"What?" AJ asked laughing and he glared at her.

"It's not funny, Ape." He said quietly. "They were going to kidnap you and do horrible fucking shit to get me and Bradford to back off. But you got pregnant and the rookies wouldn't cross that line for some reason that I'm grateful for. I guess beating and raping a pregnant woman is just too far for even the biggest of pieces of shit."

"Wow." AJ said quietly.

"We got lucky. A lot." He told her and she had to nod in agreement. "Everything just fell in her favor, me getting shot and the bullet not killing me but saving you, you getting pregnant when you did, Bradford's dying confession. We dodged so many bullets you don't even realize."

"And they're going to go to jail?" She asked.

"Every last one of them." He promised her.

"William too?" She asked and he frowned. "That was too much to ask for."

"I've got an eye on him." He assured her. "But he wasn't mentioned at all. I'm hoping tomorrow once Henderson has sat on all of this he'll be more willing to talk and tell me what the fuck is up with Devile."

"It's ok. I can handle him." She said to him hopefully.

"The mayor was asking for you." Punk said to her and AJ eyed him. "Was wondering if after you had the baby you'd consider running for DA."

"No way." She said in disbelief.

"Yes way. Asked you to take it easy and when you were ready to give his office a call." He said passing her a slip of a paper. "That's his personal cellphone number."

"Wow." AJ said taking the paper and blushing slightly.

"He doesn't want to date you." Punk scoffed.

"Maybe he does." She teased. "He's cute."

"You're a real pain in my ass, you get that right?" He asked seriously.

"But you love me." She said kissing him.

"More than you even know." He said resting his head against hers. "You need to eat."

"I don't want tea and crackers." She frowned looking at the food Jenny left.

"I can make anything." Jenny said from the top of the stairs. "Pick it! I'll pick you up whatever you want!"

"We'll order in." Punk said to her then looked at AJ. "What does the baby want?"

"A name." She shrugged and he laughed.

"Besides that." He said standing up.

"Sushi." AJ grinned.

"You can't have raw fish, try again." He said to her.

"I'm going to the market and cooking." Jenny said grabbing her purse.

"Ma, I just said-" he began but she walked out the door.

"I hope she makes her pot roast." AJ sighed hopefully and dramatically.

"Why didn't you just tell her that?" He asked with a laugh.

"I don't want to be a pain." She shrugged and he laughed louder.

"You're the biggest pain ever." He reminded her cutely and began to walk away but felt her tug on him.

"You shouldn't be standing." He said but she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest.

"I'm really emotional as it is." She cried into his chest. "But I love you so much, you know that, right?"

"Yea." He said with half a smile.

"Thank you for taking care of us." She said not telling go of him.

"I always will." He reminded her kissing the top of her head.

* * *

Later that night AJ was about to step into a bath while Punk paced back and forth downstairs. He was on the phone with Cody and ADA's as everyone was now formally arrested.

"You're going to make a hole in the floor." Jenny warned him as she watched TV on the couch.

"There's a lot happening." Punk said pacing and looking at his phone.

"When is this going to stop?" Jenny asked.

"What?" Punk asked.

"You need to start rethinking your career." Jenny said to him and Punk rolled his eyes. "I mean it! Look at this mess! You and AJ were almost killed this year. She is so stressed out from all of this she went into early labor."

"AJ is just super sensitive during this pregnancy." Punk defended. "Ape knows my job and respects it."

"I know she does." Jenny agreed. "But you son doesn't."

"Jesus, Ma." He groaned.

"You're going to be a father! You need to start thinking about the future." Jenny insisted.

"Ma, this is my life, this is what I do. I'm careful and damn good at my job so don't start in with this shit." He warned her.

"What happens when the next crook wants to target your son?" Jenny asked and Punk glared at her. "What about another kid down the road? A little girl I see in your future too and it's easy to get to kids-"

"You need to stop." Punk warned her. "Stop trying to scare me."

"It's a reality." Jenny said to him.

"You just never wanted me to be a cop anyway." Punk said to her annoyed.

"That's not true!" Jenny argued.

"Oh, it's damn true!" Punk argued back at her.

"What happens when you go out to work one day and don't come home?" Jenny questioned and Punk shook his head in annoyance.

"You're being stupid." Punk said simply.

"I mean it!" Jenny yelled.

"Nothing! Because that won't happen!" He yelled.

"Really? You're sure of that?" Jenny asked. "Fine! Stay and work your dangerous job and when you're killed and can't raise your son I'm sure you'll watch from above as a new man raises your son and sleeps with your wife!"

"You need to really step back." Punk warned her now coldly. "What has gotten into you?"

"I heard what you were saying to AJ." Jenny told him. "You and her were going to be killed and there were a serious of lucky events that saved you! You won't always get that lucky!"

"It won't ever get that personal again." Punk told her. "Besides I can't just quit my job, I have a family to support now."

"You can do something off the streets." Jenny suggested hopefully. "Be a dispatcher or something!"

"No!" Punk practically laughed. "That's not how this works."

"I want to watch you raise your boy." Jenny nearly cried.

"And you will." Punk said trying not to laugh. "You are taking this worse than AJ."

"I'm your mother." Jenny sighed. "I'm her mother! I'm a grandmother! All I do now is worry."

"You don't have to." Punk assured her. "Everything is finally getting better, this is all over with."

"Is it really? Or are you trying to protect your wife?" Jenny asked.

"I'll always try to protect her but I didn't need to lie. I was honest, this is all wrapping up." He told her. "Now I just need to keep Ape relaxed for a few more weeks until she's ready to have this baby because any more stress and she'll get sick again and it risks her health and the kids." he told his mother. "So I need you to not speak this nonsense in front of her."

"I wouldn't dare." Jenny said shaking her head.

"Good. I want these next few weeks to go smoothly and I truly believe they will." he said to her.

* * *

Punk's mom had fallen asleep on the couch watching TV when he stepped out of the office which was also downstairs. He had been on the phone for a few hours trying to keep up to date with everything going on and realized now how late it was and he hadn't checked on AJ in hours.

Punk walked up the stairs and frowned when the stairs were wet. He rushed up the stairs and saw Larry scratching at the bathroom door and Punk's heart sunk as he rushed to the bathroom and used his hip to open the door because he knew AJ wasn't going to respond. The tub water was still running and now freezing cold and AJ was face down on the wet floor with blood pooling around her head.

"Oh god." Punk nearly cried pushing Larry out of the way to check on AJ. "Ape?" He asked rolling her over and there was a gash on her head and he saw some blood on the edge of the sink and realized she either fell or fainted. "Babe?" he asked feeling for a pulse and was relieved when there was on. "Ma!" Punk screamed out frantically.

"AJ? Can you hear me?" He asked cradling her head in his lap. "Mom! Help me!" he yelled out again and he heard the stairs creek which meant she was running up.

"Phil what's-" She began and gasped.

"Call 9-1-1." Punk instructed her.

"The baby-" Jenny began.

"Call!" Punk yelled and she ran back down the stairs for her phone. "What happened? Are you ok?" he asked AJ. "Please wake up, please wake up." He pleaded kissing the side of her bloody head.

"Is she breathing?" Jenny asked holding the phone to her ear.

"Yea but she's not waking up." Punk said crying. "Tell them she's pregnant-"

"I told them." Jenny said then went back to talking on the phone.

"Baby, please." he pleaded holding her. "You're going to be ok just open those pretty eyes." he begged.

"Ambulance is on it's way." Jenny said. "Oh god, her head!"

"She fell or something." Punk said holding her tightly. "I didn't hear anything I was on the phone."

"Me either!" Jenny cried herself.

"She was up here for hours! She didn't even get into the bath she was just laying here." Punk cried.

"Maybe you shouldn't move her neck." Jenny suggested kneeling down next to him.

"She's fine." Punk snapped angrily. "She just fell."

"Did her water break again?" Jenny asked concerned and Punk looked around but AJ was soaked from the water overflowing as it was.

"I don't know." He said shaking his head. "I have to ask her."

"Phil." Jenny said shocked by his spacey attitude. Normally Punk was the guy you called in an emergency and now he was shocked and turning pale.

"Babe?" Punk asked gently trying to wake her.

"It's ok." Jenny said standing up. "I'm going to let the ambulance in."

"You think it's the baby?" Punk asked his mother fearfully. "I don't know- I won't even know what to tell the EMTs. I didn't hear her." He said quietly.

"I know you didn't." Jenny said to him. "It's ok. We'll just tell them what we know."

"Hey, you promised to stop doing this." Punk said to AJ. "We just needed a few more weeks." he groaned. "We were in the clear!" he then looked around the bathroom.

"What?" Jenny asked.

"What if someone broke in?" he asked. "Look at the window, it's opened."

"Phil-" Jenny sighed. "That window is so small. AJ herself couldn't even fit through it."

"Someone got to her." Punk said coldly and Jenny shook her head. "Yes! Right under my nose!"

"Stop." AJ groaned in pain as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Ape." he gasped looking down. "What happened?"

"My head hurts." She wept immediately and he placed his hand gently over the gash.

"Someone hurt you." Punk frowned.

"No." AJ said shaking her head. "I slipped." she groaned in pain and tried to sit up.

"Don't!" Punk and Jenny yelled at the same time and Punk kept vice grip on her so she wouldn't move.

"The ambulance is here I can hear it." Jenny said rushing down the stairs.

"You didn't need to call can ambulance." AJ said groaning in pain.

"You were up here for hours." Punk told her.

"The baby?" She asked feeling for her stomach.

"You feel pain?" He asked and she shook her head.

"No." She said growing more concerned. "I don't feel anything. He's not even moving."

"What?" Punk asked frowning.

"Phil!" She cried out.

"Don't move." Punk insisted as EMT's rushed in.

"Phil I can't feel him!" AJ cried.

"Let the EMT's help you." Punk pleaded letting her go and the EMT's began to check her over.

"Phil." She cried helplessly.

* * *

Punk was in a hospital room with AJ as her doctor did a sonogram. She wouldn't even let her head be treated first. But deep down she knew she had hurt the baby. She felt no pain- no movement- and Punk felt the same fears as his eyes were swollen from crying as well. They were going to lose the child they had already loved more than anything.

"There he is." The doctor said pointing and that's when the sound of the heartbeat filled the room.

"He's ok?" AJ asked stunned.

"Yes." The doctor smiled. "Your fluid is fine, you don't feel contractions?"

"No." AJ said shaking her head.

"That was some fall you took. You're very lucky." The doctor told her. "He was probably sleeping."

"Sleeping?" AJ asked narrowing her eyes. "He slept through that fall? He sleeps like you." AJ hissed at Punk who was in shock still.

"He's really ok?" Punk asked standing up.

"Yea he really is." The doctor said pointing. "He's moving around now."

"I feel him." AJ smiled to herself as tears of relief streamed down her face. "Jesus."  
Punk kissed the top of her head as he also released his relief through tears.

"You two need to truly just take it easy." The doctor told them.

"That's what we were trying to do." Punk said to her and she laughed.

"Right." The doctor snorted a laugh. "Another doctor is going to come in to look at your head."

"I don't care about my head." AJ said with a smile running her hand over her stomach. "He's ok."

"I thought-" He began.

"You thought someone broke in?" She asked and he nodded.

"What happened?" He asked.

"I told you I slipped. I had one foot in the tub to test the water and then I slipped." She told him and he shook his head.

"Use your hand like a normal person." He said to her annoyed. "You gave me a heart attack."

"I did not." She said.

"Ape, I walked into the bathroom and you were laying face down in a pool of your own blood. I almost fucking dropped dead." He said honestly. "Please stop being careless."

"I wasn't being careless. I slipped and hit my head." She shrugged. "I'm clumsy."

"I guess there's only one solution." Punk said. "I'm going to have to handcuff you-"

"Kinky." AJ grinned.

"-to me." He finished glaring at her. "Wherever you go, I go. To the bath, to pee, to eat, to bed-"

"Don't be silly." AJ said waving it off.

"I'm not." he said to her. "You are going to hurt yourself which is going to kill me." he told her. "Please stay in one piece until this baby is born."

"Your blood pressure is high." AJ's doctor told her looking at her numbers.

"Of course it is." AJ said to her. "I thought something was wrong with the baby."

"I think it's best you stay in the hospital where I can evaluate you." The doctor told her and AJ eyed her.

"For like the night?" AJ asked confused.

"For like the remainder of your pregnancy." The doctor corrected and AJ's face fell and Punk smiled.

"That's a great idea." Punk agreed.

"Phil I still have six weeks." AJ snapped at him. "I can not sit in bed for six weeks."

"You see April, you were supposed to be sitting in bed at home." The doctor reminded her. "Instead you made your own bath you slipped- you fell- you blew your shot to do this at home."

"I promise to not move in a inch!" AJ swore.

"April, this is for the safety of not only your child but you." The doctor told her. "I promise you that I wouldn't do this if I didn't think it was necessary."

"Phil." AJ begged.

"Ape, she's right. You need to be monitored." Punk said agreeing with the doctor.

"That's six weeks away from me." AJ told him.

"I'd never last." Punk smirked. "I'll be here everyday."

"No you won't." She scoffed looking away.

"April, please." The doctor sighed. "Do this for your son."

"Yea, Ape. Do it for little Duncan." Punk smiled weakly and AJ glared at him.

"I told you we're not naming him that." She said to him.

"It's for your sons health." The doctor said to her.

"Fine." AJ forced out miserably. "But he has to come here everyday and entertain me."

"I'm sure he will." The doctor smiled.

"Phil, promise." She pleaded grabbing his hand.

"Everyday." He swore.

"Still haven't picked a name?" The doctor asked curiously.

"No. We're undecided." AJ said to her.

"I can bring by some baby name books to occupy your time." The doctor offered.

"That would be perfect thank you." AJ smiled.

* * *

Two days later AJ was going crazy and in turn driving Punk crazy.

"I think I picked the name." AJ announced as Punk laid next to her in her bed and they watched TV.

"Yea? Care to share?" He asked.

"Jasper." She told him and he rolled his eyes.

"No chance in hell." He said turning the volume of the TV up.

"Axel." She suggested next.

"Never." he said keeping his eyes on the TV.

"Darrius." She said hopefully.

"Absolutely not." Punk said growing annoyed.

"Blaze." She smiled and he glared at her. "Well you're not helping!"

"Ace." he said simply and she eyed him.

"Ace?" She asked not hating it.

"Really? Ace works for you?" he asked eyeing her oddly. "You've been so argumentative and difficult these last few days-"

"I kind of like Ace." AJ had to admit. "I like that both of our initials will be AB." She added thinking it over. "It's not too common but not outrageous."

"So we have a name?" he asked nervously.

"I think we do." She smiled closing the baby name book. "I actually feel so much better."

"Me too." He said to her. "Ace Brooks."

"Still wish you'd let me name him Phillip." AJ groaned.

"Nope." He said to her. "He still needs a middle name."

"Oh god." She groaned and reached and for the book again. "It's getting late though, you should get home."

"I'm going to stay here tonight." He said simply rolling onto his side and facing her.

"It won't be comfortable and what about Larry?" She asked.

"Maria and Cody have Larry. And I can't sleep without you." He admitted. "It's weird to not get kicked or woken up every hour by you hearing things." He teased.

"Aw, you really do love me." She teased.

"With every fiber of my being." He said to her. "I need to be here with you and the little man."

"He likes when you're here." She said placing her hand on her stomach. "When he hears your voice he kicks me."

"He wants out and to hang with his cool dad." He said seriously and she laughed.

"There is nothing uncooler than calling yourself cool." She teased.

"I am cool. Damn cool." he smirked.

"I want a daughter next." AJ said to him and he laughed.

"Babe, let's get this one out first." He said amused.

"Don't you want a little girl?" She asked.

"Of course I do. I want ten more kids." Punk said to her.

"Slow down there." AJ smirked.

"What about running for DA?" Punk asked.

"I can't think about that right now." AJ sighed.

"I mean it's an awesome opportunity for you. Right now they have a temporary DA but I know the mayor wants to put his weight behind you." Punk said to her. "Imagine, my wife the DA?" he smirked.

"Phil that's a lot of hours." She warned him. "You work a lot of hours."

"But this is your dream." he reminded her. "You told me when Bradford hired you at the DA office that one day that would be your office."

"I'm married and starting a family. I want to be around. I don't want our son raised by nanny's." She told him.

"What if I cut back a bit?" He asked.

"What?" She asked stunned.

"I can trim back and stay home with him so you can do this." He offered.

"You would really do that?" She asked still stunned.

"Ape, I've had my dream job for years. And I'll still have it. But I can cut back a bit and still make good money. I want you to realize your dreams." He told her.

"You are not like most men." She smiled placing her hand on his cheek.

"No I'm not." He remarked smugly.

"Sleep on it before you really offer that. Babies are a lot of work." She warned him.

"I'm sorry, do you have secret children?" He teased.

"No. I just know you say it now because you're excited to spend time with him." She said to him.

"Ape, I am. But I'm also excited to see you do some good in this City." He told her. "You'd be amazing. You're brilliant and the best ADA this city has had. You'll be doing so much good as DA."

"We'll see." She said with a soft smile. "It's something to consider."

"Consider it." He urged. "If you do run I know you'll win and I'll like to be referred to as the first gentleman of Chicago."

"I'm not running for President in Chicago." She laughed.

"I still want to be called that." he said seriously and she laughed again.

"I love your laugh." he said to her. "I hope Ace has your laugh."

"Oh god." AJ cringed.

"Loud and funny." He smiled.

"I hope he has your eyes." She said to him.

"My eyes? I want him to have your eyes." He said to her. "The best eyes in the world."

"Nah, you do." She said sweetly. "I want him to have your eyes and your heart. Oh! And your great hair."

"Your heart isn't so bad itself." He said running his finger over her chest where her heart was beating.

"That's all yours." She told him.

"I know." He said quietly. "I don't take it for granted."

"I know." She said back just as quietly.


	32. Ace & Julie

**Ace & Julie**

* * *

 _ **Seven years later...**_

"Ace!" Punk shouted running up the stairs and out ran Ace who was hiding behind the stairs with a grin. "There's mud everywhere! Take your shoes off!" he yelled upstairs and Ace quickly kicked off his shoes and jumped onto the couch. "Your mom is going to kill us!" he yelled running back down the stairs and saw Ace sitting on the couch relaxed in his hockey jersey. "You think you're slick." Punk had to laugh.

"My shoes have been at the door the whole time." Ace lied with ease.

"Right." Punk remarked shaking his head. "Clean up the shoe prints." he said passing Ace cleaner.

"It's not mine! It's Larry!" Ace argued.

"Larry has paws, not feet." Punk reminded him.

"It's Julie's!" Ace argued again and Punk groaned.

"What's mine? It's not mine." Julie Marie Brooks pouted cutely with her arms folded at the top of the stairs and made her way down the stairs. Julie was born two and a half years after her big brother. "Daddy, I promise it's not mine." she nearly cried and Punk had to smile. She reminded him so much of his wife.

"Do you even know what we're talking about?" Punk asked amused as he kneeled down to be eye level with the four year old.

"No." Julie said sadly and Punk kissed her cheek and picked her up.

"We're talking about foot prints. You have little baby feet." Punk teased.

"Yea because she's a baby." Ace remarked cleaning up his mess.

"I'm not a baby." Julie snapped narrowing her eyes at her big brother.

"You're my baby." Punk said placing her on the counter as he pulled out his cellphone.

"See! Baby!" Ace teased laughing.

"You're my baby too." Punk said to Ace who's face dropped. "Deal with it."

"I'm the favorite baby." Julie informed Ace who scoffed.

"Get real. I'm the favorite." Ace remarked smugly.

"I don't have favorites." Punk said reading his phone.

"I'm late, I know!" AJ announced running inside with her briefcase.

"I have to get going." Punk said grabbing his badge.

"What? I thought we were having family dinner?" She frowned.

"I've got a break in the Benson case." Punk said simply. "Tomorrow I promise."

AJ was district attorney and although Punk cut back on some work hours he would still have big and busy cases but they always had dinner as a family together. They always worked around their dinner time and another deal breaker, Punk and AJ didn't work weekends. They tried to keep as normal schedule as possible for their children and for their own sanity but sometimes work was too much.

"Oh! What do you have?" She asked eagerly.

"I'll tell you about it later." He said to her and she glared at him. "No work talk in front of the kids." He reminded her.

"Mommy, tell daddy and Ace I'm not a baby." Julie pleaded to her mother and AJ smiled.

"You're both my babies." AJ told Julie who nearly cried.

"Mom, Julie made a mess and I'm cleaning it." Ace told his mother proudly and AJ kissed his head.

"You're a great son." AJ said with a laugh. "Bad liar, but great son."

"It wasn't me." Julie sniffled and Punk had to laugh.

"Stop being sad." Punk said to Julie who tried to smile for him. "Smile for me."

"No. I didn't make the mess." Julie told him.

"Relax, I was kidding." Ace said to Julie.

"Why do you kid with me?" Julie asked.

"Because I'm your big brother and that's what big brothers do." Ace shrugged.

"I want to be a big brother." Julie said and AJ laughed.

"You'd be a big sister." AJ smirked kissing her head and then removed her jacket as Punk put his on.

"I always get picked on." Julie sighed dramatically. "I hate being the baby."

"Who picks on you?" AJ asked her daughter who was literally the most dramatic human on this planet and she and Punk loved her even more for it.

"Clarissa." Julie told her mom. "And Billy."

"I'll beat up Billy." Ace offered casually and AJ glared at her son. "That's what big brothers do. But I can't hit a girl."

"No you can not." Punk reminded him sternly.

"Or a boy." AJ argued and Punk rolled his eyes.

"He's protecting his sister." Punk said kissing the top of Ace's head. "Proud of you." He said to Ace who smirked and AJ glared at him.

"I love you Julie Bean." Punk said to his daughter who looked emotionally exhausted from this whole foot print mess thing.

"Do you really daddy?" Julie asked with a frown and Punk laughed.

"Where do you get this from?" He asked then looked at his wife. "Oh, that's right."

"Stop." AJ laughed.

"Yes I really do Julie, give me a hug goodbye." he said and she jumped into her fathers arms.

"Take me with you." Julie begged. "Ace will beat me up if you leave me here."

"Will not." Ace scoffed.

"You'll be fine." Punk said kissing her cheek and putting her down.

"How late will you be?" AJ asked walking him to the door.

"It's going to be an all nighter." He warned her quietly and she sighed. "I'll be back to take them to school in the morning."

"Please be careful and don't worry about school I'll take them." She told him.

"I know tonight was our night too..." He trailed off.

"Yea, it's kind of difficult to make Julie a big sister when you work late on my ovulation nights." She huffed.

"I know." He sighed. "But I've got to do this case."

"I know you do." She smiled and kissed him at the door.

"Wait, daddy!" Julie yelled running to the door with her beat up stuffed teddy bear he gave her the day she was born and never left the house without, not even going to school without it. "Teddy fell and hurt himself, you promised to kiss him to make him better."

"Yea, Phil." AJ teased trying not to laugh.

"I'm proud to help Teddy." Punk said shooting AJ a look and kissing Teddy. "All better."

"Thanks." Julie said as he kneeled down and she kissed his cheek.

"Be careful." AJ warned him as he stood up. "I love you."

"I love you too." He said shooting her a wink. "My mom is coming by tonight, don't forget."

"Oh, good." AJ grinned. "Adult conversation."

"I can have adult conversation." Julie whined.

"No you can't because you're a baby." Ace teased from inside.

"That's it!" Julie yelled stomping her foot and ran inside to chase her brother.

"Great." AJ said sarcastically.

"One more." Punk mouthed to her and AJ shook her head laughing.

"I don't know about that anymore." She teased.

* * *

The next morning Punk walked into the house after an all night shift. He was exhausted and a bit beat up. His bust did hit a few bumps and was sporting a black eye and a cut across his arm that was painful. It was already 8 so he knew everyone would have been gone by now and removed his jacket and hissed slightly. He climbed up the stairs and froze when he heard snoring coming from his bedroom. He pushed the door open and sure enough there was his wife laying between Ace and Julie who were sprawled all over sleeping. Even Larry managed to squeeze into the bed.

"Hi." AJ whispered and eyed her with confusion as to why everyone was still home. She carefully crawled out of the bed and followed him outside the room.

"What's going on? You over sleep?" He asked concerned.

"No, after you left it all went downhill." She informed him and he eyed her. "Ace started to throw up after dinner, he has a fever so he has the flu."

"Oh fuck." Punk groaned. "Julie too?"

"Julie started to throw up when she saw Ace throwing up and all the throwing up made me throw up." She told him and he tried not to laugh. "Your mom is in  
Julie's room sleeping she took care of us all."

"What a woman." Punk smirked and AJ frowned.

"Phil." She said grabbing his arm. "And you're all bruised up."

"It's not that bad." Punk assured her.

"It's a deep cut." AJ said pulling him into the bathroom. "You didn't have anyone look at it?"

"No because it's not deep." He said to her and she glared as she grabbed the first aid kit.

"Phil someone stabbed you!" She scolded.

"Daddy is hurt?" Julie asked from the doorway as her eyes watered up.

"No, honey-" AJ began but Julie ran off.

"Fuck." Punk groaned looking up at the ceiling as AJ cleaned his cut.

"I'll talk to her." AJ told him.

"I'll talk to her." He said stronger. "My poor girl." He frowned.

"Daddys girl." AJ smirked. "And Ace is your boy. I hope when we have our third that he or she favors me."

"Probably not." Punk said honestly and AJ laughed. "I'm cooler."

"You're just older." AJ scoffed.

"Cooler." He corrected seriously.

"They think of you like a dad and a grandpa." She teased.

"You are so fucked up." he said trying not to laugh.

"He's not dying." Ace said rubbing his eyes. "Julie! He's not dying!"

"Jesus." Punk groaned.

"Are you?" Ace asked.

"No. I cut myself at work." Punk said to him.

"I knew she was lying." Ace scoffed walking further into the bathroom. "That's pretty cool."

"No it's not." AJ warned him.

"Thanks." Punk smirked at Ace.

"I can't wait to be a cop one day." Ace told them.

"Well, you have a while to decide." Punk reminded him. Ace idolized Punk. He wanted to be EXACTLY like his father.

"I already know." Ace told him sternly. "A cop just like you and I'm going to get cool cuts too!"

"Oh god." AJ groaned. "What about growing up to be like a scientist or a lawyer."

"Those are boring jobs." Ace said to her. "I want to be a superhero like dad."

"I guess he is superhero like." AJ had to smile a bit to herself and that's when they heard the backdoor.

"Julie is running away again." Ace stated rolling his eyes.

"I told her to stop leaving the house." AJ groaned throwing the bandage down.

"I'll get her." Punk insisted.

"Cover up your arm first." AJ reminded him and he just nodded.

* * *

Whenever Julie was upset she'd "runaway" to her little house that Punk had built her in the yard. Punk walked out the backdoor and saw Julie outside of her little pink house holding Teddy.

"...purple." he heard his daughter say and he frowned.

"That's my favorite color too." A male voice said and Punk froze for a second.

Julie was facing the fence and talking to some strange man, he didn't recognize the voice. Punk turned to the right and stalked over to the fence and saw the back of someone running.

"Hey!" Punk yelled hopping over the short fence and began to chase after the guy.

There was no way Punk wasn't going to chase the strange man talking to his kid in his neighborhood that was filled with kids. There was always a fear in Punk's head that things would go back to the way they were seven years ago when he was a constant target. Punk was a very known popular Detective in the City and AJ was the district attorney, they had enemies a mile a long between them.

Punk was running through traffic as he tried to catch up to the man who turned around to look at Punk and smile before disappearing in a crowd on a busy street. Punk was taken aback by the face he saw and would know that face anywhere. He realized where he was and pulled out his phone to call Cody as he walked home.

Punk walked back into the yard and saw Julie crying to AJ and Ace.

"There he is." AJ smiled. "He didn't run away because he hates you." She told her daughter, his very sensitive daughter.

"Julie." Punk said in a stern voice kneeling in front of her. "Why were you talking to that man?"

"What man?" AJ asked alarmed.

"Answer me Julie." Punk demanded.

"He said hi and asked me what my favorite color was." Julie cried a little. "Don't leave me daddy."

"I'm not leaving you. But we've talked about talking to strangers, haven't we?" He asked and she nodded slowly.

"I don't really remember." She said looking up at AJ sadly.

"You don't talk to anyone you don't know." AJ reminded her.

"Such a baby." Ace groaned.

"I'm not a baby." Julie cried.

"It's enough." AJ said to Ace.

"You can't talk to people you don't know and you can't leave the house without us." Punk told her.

"Ace, take Julie inside." AJ said to her son who rolled his eyes.

"Ace hates me." Julie sniffled.

"No I don't." Ace groaned taking her hand and leading her inside.

"Who was talking to Julie?" AJ asked. "I assume that's who you ran after."

"I would never not chase down some strange adult chatting up my kid in the yard." Punk said to her.

"What did you say to him?" AJ asked.

"I didn't catch him." Punk said to her. "But I saw his face."

"Oh god." AJ groaned. "Who is it?"

"William Devile." He told her and her face fell.

"How is this possible?" AJ asked him. "He moved to Miami right after Henderson was arrested."

"He's back." He said to her.

"Are you sure?" She asked. "Maybe you thought it was him-"

"Ape, I know that fucking face." Punk told her. "It was him. He was practically in our yard."

"You have to arrest him." AJ said to him.

"I've called Cody and a few of the guys at station and they're looking for him." He told her.

"I don't get it." AJ said to him.

"Why is Julie inside crying that you're running away because you're dying?" Jenny asked walking outside.

"Please talk to her." AJ said to Punk who nodded.

* * *

While Punk spoke to Julie, AJ began preparing breakfast.

"How are you feeling?" AJ asked Ace who was sitting at the table quietly. "Ace?" she asked trying to get his attention.

"Was that man going to take Julie away?" Ace asked scared.

"No." AJ said shaking her head.

"Yes he was." Ace argued. "He was going to take her away!"

"No." AJ repeated. "He was just a guy."

"I don't believe you." Ace sighed sadly.

"It is important we have a discussion about talking to strangers again." She said to him.

"I know not to talk to strangers, I'm not a dummy like Julie." Ace said and AJ narrowed her eyes at him.

"She's not a dummy. She's a child." AJ reminded him.

"I'm a kid too and I know better." Ace scoffed.

"You remind me so much of your dad." AJ had to laugh a bit.

"Really?" He asked with a smile and AJ nodded. "And is Julie like you?"

"In some ways." AJ smirked. Julie was truly sensitive, AJ didn't grow up that way but she loved her daughter so much and was actually envious at the way Julie was able to feel so strongly about everything. She was so passionate and emotional for a girl her age and AJ wished she wasn't that closed off growing up. "But Julie is kind of like your father too."

"He cried all of the time too?" Ace asked seriously.

"Stop teasing her." AJ laughed a bit passing him a glass of juice. "And no, but I was a little more closed off, your dad was always very open and vocal and passionate about things."

"Why was that man talking to Julie?" Ace asked AJ getting back to the original conversation.

"I don't know. He could have been being nice." AJ lied.

"But why?" Ace asked.

"I wish I had these answers for you." AJ sighed sitting across from him. "But I don't. I don't know why some people do what they do. The only thing I can control is how my children react." she told him and nodded along seriously as if he was an adult himself. "If someone approaches you, don't talk back to them. You come inside or go to your teacher or whichever adult you are with."

"I know this mom." Ace groaned.

"I feel better saying it again." AJ said to him.

"It's ok mom, I know what to do." Ace nodded. "And I'll take care of Julie."

"You're a great big brother." AJ smiled proudly. "I'm very proud of you."

"It's not easy to be the smart kid in the house." Ace informed AJ.

"She's still a baby and she's brilliant." AJ told him and he rolled his eyes. "That you get from me." she said referring to his eye roll. "When you're older I have a feeling she's going to be looking out for you too."

"I don't think so." Ace said to her and AJ laughed.

"Trust me." AJ smirked.

* * *

"I just don't know why you're hurt." Julie said while she sat on the couch.

"I got scratched at work." Punk told her for the tenth time.

"And why did you run away from me?" Julie asked him.

"I wasn't running away from you. I was protecting you." He told her also again for the tenth time.

"I don't understand." Julie sighed sadly.

"Baby, you can't talk to people you don't know." Punk said to her very slowly. "If someone comes to the fence again you need to come inside right away- run as a matter of fact- to me and if I'm not here then your mom." He told her.

"I'm not supposed to run inside." Julie reminded him.

"You can if someone comes to the fence." He told her and she shrugged.

"Does your arm hurt?" Julie asked him.

"No. I'm super strong." He smirked and Julie smiled. "It's just a scratch."

"Good." Julie sighed relieved.

"Can you do me a favor?" He asked her and she nodded. "Can you not run outside without me or your mom knowing anymore."

"I forgot." Julie defended.

"I know but you have to try to remember for now on, ok?" He asked her and she nodded.

"You scared Teddy." Julie said holding out her stuffed bear.

"I'm sorry, Teddy." Punk said to the bear. "But Julie scared me first so it's her fault." he told the bear and Julie gasped.

"I did not!" she defended covering the bears ears.

"You did. No more running out back and no more talking to strangers." He told her.

"I promise." She said to him.

* * *

Julie and Punk walked into the kitchen and she jumped up in the chair next to Ace.

"Pancakes!" Julie cheered rubbing her hands together.

"Here you go." AJ said placing a dish in front of her and Ace.

"You ok?" Punk asked in a whisper.

"What does he want with out children?" AJ asked him fearfully but quietly.

"We'll figure it out." He assured her.

"I should have let you kill him that night." She whispered coldly.

"He's going to end up dead if he ever looks at Julie again or even dares to approach Ace." Punk promised her honestly.

"Have we been too wrapped in work that we missed this guy lurking around?" AJ asked him and Punk didn't respond, although they spent a lot of time with their kids they suffered from tunnel vision. When they were with their kids they tuned everything out to keep work out of their family time. But maybe that tunnel vision is the reason they missed some import signs.

"Maybe we have been." He admitted.

"This is my last year in office." She told him. "I'm no re-running."

"Ape-" he began.

"Phil we want a third kid and we can barely make time for the two we already have. I'm missing everything." She told him. "I'm ready to retire."

"Retire?" He asked with a laugh.

"Hey, when you're a district attorney for almost 8 years you're afforded that luxury. I can still practice law and consult but I need to be here with my kids more." She told him,

"We'll talk about it." Punk said to her. "On vacation."

"I almost forgot we're going on vacation." AJ grinned.

"It's our favorite time of the year." Punk smirked. "Kids will be out school, we take off to the shore for two weeks."

"Mom!" Ace yelled out before AJ could respond to Punk. "Julie took my pancakes!"

"He's sick! He shouldn't have them." Julie told everyone firmly. "You're welcome." she said to Ace smugly.

"You are such a brat!" Ace yelled jumping out of his chair.

"You're a batman!" Julie yelled back thinking that was an insult.

"Good!" Ace yelled and grabbed Teddy from her arms and ran off.

"No! Not Teddy!" Julie sobbed chasing after Ace. "Daddy, help me!"

"Go help her." AJ smirked pushing Punk out of the kitchen.


	33. On The Hunt

**On The Hunt**

* * *

Punk was at the police station scrolling through his computer with Cody still sitting across from him.

"Even if we found him we can't arrest him." Cody reminded him.

"Attempted kidnapping isn't a crime anymore?" Punk asked mockingly.

"He didn't try to kidnap her." Cody reminded him.

"What do you think he was doing?" Punk asked. "Think he was passing by random yards and chatting up random four year old's because he's friendly?"

"I really don't know." Cody said shaking his head. "You're positive it was him?"

"I know that fake tan face." Punk told him. "It was William Devile."

"Has Ace ever seen him around?" Cody asked.

"I don't know." Punk said thinking about it. "I didn't ask and he didn't see him."

"You should show him his picture." Cody suggested.

"I fucking hate this." Punk said disgusted. "This guy showing up after seven years is so fucked up."

"How's AJ doing?" Cody asked.

"She's paranoid." Punk admitted. "She's constantly getting up every hour on the dot to check on the kids and to make sure the doors and windows are locked."

"Can't say I blame her. But maybe it wasn't him." Cody suggested again.

"Again, I fucking know that face and even if it wasn't him why was a grown adult male hanging on my fence talking to me kid?" Punk asked him. "My four year old daughter."

"It's creepy and obviously something isn't right without whoever it was-" Cody began.

"Have I ever been wrong before?" Punk asked.

"Detective you have a call on line one." A uniformed officer told Punk and he just nodded.

"Detective Brooks." Punk answered picking up the phone. "Wait what happened? Yea I'll be right there."

"Everything ok?" Cody asked.

"Julie's school- she's sick. She probably caught whatever Ace has." Punk said grabbing his badge and gun. "Check out those clubs again." he told Cody.  
"That's where we're going to find him."

"And if we do?" Cody asked.

"Bring him in and call me immediately." Punk said simply then walked out.

* * *

Punk walked into his daughters school and the security guard led him to the nurses office.

"She doesn't have a temperature or feel warm, I think she's just having a bad day." The nurse whispered to Punk.

"Thank you for calling." Punk said to the nurse and he saw his daughter sitting in a chair kicking her legs lightly. "Hey Julie bean."

"Hi." She sighed dramatically and Punk knew her like the back of his hand. Just by her tone of voice he could tell someone upset her. He loved how sensitive his daughter was but it also scared the shit out of him. He didn't want her to go her entire life being so sensitive and he was truly afraid if she did he'd never be able to let her out of his sight out of fear of someone hurting her.

"Want to tell me what happened?" He asked her.

"No." Julie said climbing out of the chair. "I just want to go home." She said walking out of the office and he followed her.

"Jules, did something happen? You have to tell me." Punk insisted following her.

"No. I need a nap." Julie said simply and Punk stopped her

"Where's Teddy?" Punk asked.

"He's in my book bag." Julie shrugged walking straight ahead with Punk following. She bought Teddy everywhere including school he had never seen her not holding him. It was her security blanket of kinds.

"Why?" Punk asked.

"Daddy, I need a nap." Julie sighed. "I can't talk anymore."

"You have to tell me if someone upset you." Punk insisted as they stepped outside the school and he reached for her hand but she pulled it away. "Julie." He frowned.

"I don't need to hold hands, I'm a big girl." She said to him.

"No you do need to hold my hand since we're crossing the street." He reminded her.

"That's for stupid babies." She told her father.

"You are wrong." Punk said taking her hand anyway.

"Is Ace home?" Julie asked as Punk put her into the car and into her car seat.

"Yea he is. He's home with Grandma." He told her. "Maybe you caught what he had." He said buckling her up.

"I want to see Ace." Julie told him.

"You will." Punk said then got into his car. "You can see me right now." Punk grinned and Julie just frowned. "Are you mad at me or something?"

"No. I love you." She said to him.

"So, what happened today? Billy tease you?" He asked.

"No." She said quietly.

"I hope you're not lying to me." Punk said to her.

"I'm not." She said to him.

"We have to make a quick stop before we go home to see Ace." He told her.

"Fine." She sighed dramatically.

* * *

Julie's face lit up when she walked into the District Attorney offices. She LOVED visiting her mother. Her mother was the boss of all these people and Julie was in awe of it. She knew exactly where her mother's office was and ran right to it without knocking and ran behind the desk where her mom was sitting

"Mommy!" Julie cheered and AJ picked her up and kissed her cheek.

"Hi, baby." AJ smiled. "Heard you weren't feeling well."

"I feel fine." Julie shrugged.

"Then why did I have to pick you up from school?" Punk asked closing the office door behind him.

"Can I stay here and play?" Julie asked AJ.

"For a few minutes only because I'm due back in court in an hour." She said standing up but leaving Julie in her fancy chair to play.

"She's mad at me." Punk whispered.

"No she's not." AJ said to her.

"Yes she is! She won't talk to me." Punk said looking at his daughter playing at AJ's desk. "What did I do? Did I upset her?"

"You didn't." AJ laughed.

"She wants to stay here with you and not me. That's not normal." Punk told her.

"Give me a few minutes with her I'll get to the bottom of it." AJ told him.

"How? Because you're a woman?" Punk scoffed.

"Yes. And her mother." AJ remarked smugly. "I'm also a damn good attorney and getting people to talk is my entire profession."

"Right." Punk said. "I'm going to get a coffee and when I get back she better be happy to see me." He warned AJ who laughed.

"Julie-" AJ began and Julie looked at her mother. She knew her mom meant business.

"Ms. Canyon said I was stupid." Julie blurted out and AJ eyed her.

"Your teacher called you stupid?" AJ asked folding her arms.

"Yes." Julie told her sadly nodding. "We were going out to play and I was bringing Teddy and she said it was stupid to bring him and only babies had stuffed animals. She made me put him in my book bag."

"Really." AJ said absorbing the information.

"It made me feel sad." Julie said to her. "Then I couldn't go out to play with Teddy it just didn't feel the same."

"You can bring Teddy anywhere you want." AJ told her sternly.

"But I don't want to be a baby." Julie told her mother. "Ace calls me a baby all of the time."

"You're not a baby if you want your stuffed animal." AJ explained to her. "And you are your own person. Everyone has something that makes them feel better and if Teddy makes you feel good then you hold onto Teddy."

"But I don't want to be teased." Julie sighed. "I get teased all of the time."

"By who?" She asked. "Billy and Clarissa!"

"Did you tell your teacher?" AJ asked.

"I did but Ms. Canyon said maybe I should put Teddy away." Julie shrugged.

"No." AJ said shaking her head. "I'm going to have a nice talk with Ms. Canyon and straighten all of this out."

"Really?" Julie asked hopefully and AJ nodded. "Thanks mommy."

* * *

AJ stepped out of her office and walked over to the receptionist.

"Amanda, could you call my daughters school and set up a meeting with Julie's teacher for me?" AJ asked her who nodded.

"Ms. Canyon, right?" Amanda asked.

"Yes. And anytime is good I'll rearrange anything to make sure I get in to see her." AJ told her and Amanda nodded as she picked up her phone.

"What's the verdict?" Punk asked.

"Ms. Canyon is a bitch." AJ told him and Punk eyed her.

"Who's that?" Punk asked.

"Our daughter's teacher." AJ told him.

"Oh, yea." Punk said to her.

"She called Julie stupid." AJ told him.

"Excuse me?" Punk asked.

"I'm going to handle this." She said waving it off.

"I don't think so. I'll go right down-" Punk began.

"There's a reason Julie told me and not you." AJ pointed out.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Punk asked.

"Think about it." She shrugged. "Maybe she felt you'd overreact."

"And you won't?" He asked with a laugh. "Like you're not going to go down there yelling and screaming?"

"Please, I'm a professional." She reminded him smugly.

"Right." Punk scoffed.

"I really have to get ready for court and then I'm probably going to the school." She told him.

"I should go to the school too. She's my daughter." Punk insisted.

"You focus on William Devile." She told him.

"I am. So much so that everyone thinks I'm like crazy." Punk told her.

"You can't let it consume you either." She warned him.

"Do you think Ace has seen him around?" Punk asked.

"I have no idea. Ace doesn't know who this guy is." AJ pointed out.

"I have to show him a picture and ask him." Punk said to her.

"I don't want to scare him." AJ whispered.

"I don't either. I'll sugarcoat it." He assured her. "But I can't take any risks. This guy was when our yard talking to Julie as if it was nothing."

"I know." AJ sighed. "Why though? He's not a child predator."

"He has a thing for Hispanics." Punk reminded her.

"I remember." She groaned. "I should have just-"

"Don't go back in time." Punk insisted. "What happened happened and we're going to move forward and win like we always do."

"I really want to go play with Ace now." Julie announced opening the door and holding Teddy.

"Ace might still not be feeling too well." Punk warned her.

"Good. I can pick on him for a change." Julie grinned.

"That's my girl." AJ said kissing her head.

* * *

Punk was home for the day after bringing Julie home because he wanted to have a talk with Ace.

"How's he feeling today?" Punk asked his mother.

"Good." Jenny told him. "Fever broke and his appetite seems to be back."

"Good." Punk nodded along. "Thanks for watching him."

"Anytime." Jenny said with a weak smile.

"What?" Punk asked knowing his mother.

"What is going on?" Jenny asked him. "Is this man who attacked AJ really back?"

"I can't get into this." Punk said to her.

"I warned you years ago when AJ was pregnant with Ace that this could all come back to haunt you." Jenny reminded him.

"What do you want me to do?" Punk asked annoyed. "I can't help the fact that a fucking criminal is pissed off at me and my wife. We are known to lock them up."

"I told you to retire." Jenny said simply and he glared at her.

"I locked this guy up before I was even engaged to Ape. He's been taunting her since before we were even dating." Punk told her.

"I just think it's time you put down the badge. You have two children, you want a third-" She began.

"And who is going pay for college and the rent for my kids? My pension? Because it won't." he told her.

"I think you and AJ have plenty of money. You live very modestly for a woman who is the district attorney." Jenny told him and he glared at her.

"I don't need to live off of my wife." Punk told her. "And besides, AJ is looking into retiring."

"I think you both can retire." Jenny said and Punk shook his head. "You have such a dangerous job and two beautiful children and a wife-"

"Every six months you get into this." Punk said annoyed. "I can't have this same argument over and over."

"You're going to get yourself killed before you can watch your kids grow up." She warned him.

"Hi dad." Ace greeted quietly and Punk glared at his mother knowing he overheard it.

"I'm going to check on Julie." Jenny said excusing herself.

"Your grandma is crazy." Punk told him and Ace just shrugged.

"Are you really going to die?" Ace asked.

"No." Punk said quickly. "Sit down, I want to talk to you."

"Why does Grandma hate you being a cop?" Ace asked.

"Your grandmother is worried. That's what parents do." Punk told him.

"I can still be a cop though?" Ace asked curiously.

"Yea. You can be anything you want. But if you're a cop be prepared because your mom and grandmother will be just as worried for you as they are for me, and me." Punk smirked. "I'll be nagging you all of the time to be careful."

"I will. I'll be just like you." Ace smiled proudly.

"Look, I have to ask you something." Punk said pulling out a kitchen chair and Ace sat down. "I'm going to show you a picture and I just want you to tell me if you know the person. It's nothing bad I'm just curious." Punk told him.

"Sure." Ace shrugged and Punk pulled a picture up on his phone and passed it to Ace. "I know him." he said without hesitation.

"What do you mean?" Punk asked alarmed trying to remain cool.

"I know him. That's Willy." Ace told him passing him back his phone.

"How do you know him?" Punk asked lowly.

"He's Kevin's dad. Remember I slept over there last weekend?" Ace asked and Punk's face dropped.

"I thought Kevin's mom was a single mom." Punk said to Ace. "I didn't think he even knew his dad."

"His dad just came back. He was working secret jobs for the government but that's a secret." Ace told Punk in a whisper and Punk just nodded. One of the classic stories parents would tell kids about missing parents.

"He spoke to you?" Punk asked.

"Yea he took us for ice cream." Ace explained.

"What did he do?" Punk asked.

"Nothing." Ace shrugged.

"What did he say to you?" Punk asked growing angry.

"Nothing really." Ace shrugged.

"Did he ask about me or your mom?" Punk asked.

"Yup." Ace nodded. "I told him my dad was a superhero and my mom was too."

"What else did he say?" Punk asked.

"Nothing really." Ace said thinking about it. "Want me to call him?"

"No." Punk said quickly. "Does he know where we live?"

"Yea. He's the one who dropped me off after the sleepover." Ace told him and Punk could feel his heart sinking. "Is that ok?"

"Yea." Punk forced out.

"Why do you have a picture of Kevin's dad on your phone?" Ace asked curiously.

"I thought it was someone else." Punk lied. "I didn't realize it was Kevin's dad. That's probably how I know him."

"Oh, Ace." Julie smiled smugly. "Grandma is taking me for ice cream and you can't have any because you're sick and I'm going to get your favorite flavor and eat it right in front of you!"

"That's not fair!" Ace yelled. "I feel better!"

"You didn't go to school today so you're sick and I'm not." Julie told him holding Teddy. "I'm getting rocky road with chocolate sprinkles and hot fudge and extra chocolate chips."

"You don't even like rocky road!" Ace argued.

"I do now." Julie said with a big grin. "It's Teddys' favorite."

"Teddy isn't real!" Ace yelled jumping out of his chair.

"Oh, he's real and he said you're smelly and can't have ice cream." Julie said then nearly screamed when Ace snatched the bear from her. "No!" She screamed.

"Let's see how real he is when I throw him out the window!" Ace said holding the bear up high so Julie couldn't reach it.

"Daddy!" Julie wept.

"Give Teddy back." Punk ordered Ace.

"She started it!" Ace argued.

"Ace, give her back Teddy." Punk ordered again and Ace rolled his eyes and gave Julie back the bear. "You can go for ice cream too but you have to be nice to your sister."

"I can't promise that. She's a baby brat." Ace argued.

"Figure it out." Punk said to him.

"He's such a bully." Julie told Teddy.

"Stop teasing your brother." Punk said to Julie who pouted.

"He does it first." Julie argued with him.

"I want to talk to you later Missy." Punk said pointing at his daughter who's mouth opened in shock.

"Oh, but daddy I didn't do it, Ace did it." Julie told him in an innocent voice

"No I didn't, she did!" Ace argued pointing at Julie.

"Wait, what did you do?" Punk asked the two of them.

"Nothing." Ace and Julie said at the same time.

"Since I'm feeling better I'm going to Kevin's house tomorrow, don't forget to take me." Ace told his dad and Punk's face fell.

"No." Punk said a little more abrupt than he wanted.

"Why not? You said I could last week." Ace frowned.

"We have plans tomorrow." Punk lied. "Big plans."

"What about Saturday?" Ace asked.

"No." Punk said to him simply. "We'll discuss it later."

"But-" Ace started.

"Are we all ready?" Jenny asked.

"Yea." Punk nodded to his kids. "Remember to say thank you to Grandma."

"Do you want anything?" Jenny asked Punk.

"No I lost my appetite." Punk said disgusted. "Keep a close eye on them." he whispered.

"Of course." Jenny said then walked the kids out.

Punk was just sitting down to call Cody about this update when his phone began to ring.

"Brooks." He answered. "Wait...she did what?"

* * *

Punk arrived at the police station he had just left and saw his wife sitting at his desk with his arms folded.

"What the hell happened?" Punk asked walking over to her and she looked annoyed. "I thought you were going because I'd overreact and you were the professional one."

"She wanted our daughter to see a child therapist because she liked her stuffed animal!" AJ yelled.

"What?" Punk asked with a laugh.

"Then she implied she's so attached to a stuffed animal because of our busy work schedules!" AJ told him angrily.

"We make plenty of time for our children." Punk said to her.

"She acted like Julie having Teddy was a crazy thought! Like a child having a stuffed animal is weird! She loves Teddy, you gave her Teddy! That's her attachment it reminds her of you." AJ pointed out.

"So what happened?" Punk asked.

"I told her she was insane." AJ said simply. "And that she was unprofessional and nothing she felt gave her the right to call my daughter stupid or feel bad about herself!"

"Good." Punk nodded. "So how did you end up at the station?"

"I refused to leave until she apologized." AJ told him honestly. "And she refused to apologize."

"So she called the police?" He asked her.

"No. The police happened to be patrolling the school and recognized me and politely escorted me out." She said to him. "I don't want her teaching Julie anymore. And I already contacted the superintendent, I'm waiting for a call back."

"I have to talk to you about something else." Punk said to her sitting on the edge of his desk. "William Devile is Kevin's father. He was with Ace"

"Excuse me?" AJ asked stunned.

"Yea Ace told me that he's Willy and drove him from Kevin's after he slept over." Punk told her. "He asked about us so he knows we're his parents."

"Jesus." AJ sighed rubbing her temple. "We have to arrest him-"

"We can't." Punk told her. "But I want you to have a police escort when you leave the office."

"Why me? He's clearly targeting our children." She said to him.

"No, no." Punk said shaking his head. "He spent time with Ace and had no problems. Didn't threaten him or hurt him. He could have easily snatched up Julie in the yard but didn't." He added. "It's you who he's always been after."

"Please" She scoffed.

"Don't do that." He said shaking his head. "This is serious and if you don't take it seriously I'll go over your head."

"You wouldn't." She gasped

"Oh, I would." Punk said to her. "I'll go right to the Mayor who gets a boner every time you breathe the same air as him."

"No he doesn't." AJ snapped standing up. Punk SWORE the Mayor had a crush on AJ. She thought he was insane.

"And I'll tell him you have an immediate threat and he will implement security at his discretion." Punk warned her. "I'm going to see Devile and you're going to have someone watching your back."

"I'm the District Attorney of this City." She pointed out proudly.

"And that makes you a fucking target!" He yelled. "Don't be stupid! You have two kids depending on you and we can't take a chance of this guy breaking in and trying to kill you again!"

"He didn't try to kill me!" She argued back.

"That's right, I'm sorry." he mocked. "Tried to rape you. That's much better." he said sarcastically. "I'm sure that wouldn't scar our children to walk in on."

"You are out of your mind." She said shaking her head and brushing past him as she noticed they caused a scene.

"You are!" He yelled chasing after her. "Why are you in denial about this?" he asked following her outside the station.

"I'm not in denial but-" She began.

"But what? You don't think he won't target you? He knows where we live! He went there the other day and I'm sure it wasn't to chat up our daughter!" He yelled. "You need to remember that you're not invincible and that you have two children and a husband that need you to take threats a little more seriously."

"He approached Julie. You need to arrest him." AJ said simply.

"I plan on seeing him. I was on my way before I got the call about you." He told her.

"Arrest him for attempted kidnapping." She said to him.

"You're a district attorney you better than anyone knows that won't stick." He said to her. "Until I get a handle on this I need to know you're safe or I can't work because I'll be following you around."

"Where are the kids?" She asked.

"My mom took them out." He told her. "Ace had plans to go to Kevin's."

"No way." AJ said shaking her head. "I'm disgusted William was alone with Ace."

"Me too." Punk said to her.

"I'll play it your way for now." She said to him.

"Thank you." he said relieved. "It's only because I love you."

"I think it's because you like bossing me around." She said folding her arms.

"How is that possible when you're the boss?" He asked her with a smirk.

* * *

Later that night Punk drove to Kevin's and without tipping off Kevin's mother poked around for William but he wasn't there. His mother made it clear William wasn't an active father and she didn't know much of what he was into now. Punk went back home after driving around looking for him for a couple of hours. He walked into the house and saw Julie and Ace curled up next to AJ on the couch as they watched the Blackhawks game.

"You're watching hockey without me?" Punk frowned.

"There's pizza inside for you." AJ said looking over to him.

"Not hungry." Punk said plopping down next to Ace. AJ looked over to Punk and he shook his head so she would know he didn't see William at all.

"I missed you daddy." Julie said climbing off the couch and walking over to him and he picked her up and placed her on his lap.

"I missed you." he said kissing her cheek.

"Such a baby." Ace muttered.

"You don't miss your old man?" Punk asked Ace teasingly.

"You were gone for like two hours." Ace scoffed.

"Why didn't you want to talk to me today about your teacher?" Punk asked his daughter.

"I didn't want you to think I was stupid." Julie shrugged.

"You can talk to me about anything and everything at any time." He informed Julie seriously.

"Yea and besides, he already knows you're stupid you were born that way." Ace said to Julie who glared at him coldly.

"Your sister isn't stupid." Punk scolded.

"Yea, dummy." Julie mocked back.

"Ace isn't a dummy." Punk said to her. "You two need to be nicer to each other."

"I think vacation is going to bond them." AJ smiled looking at the two.

"I don't think so." Ace said to AJ. "I'm an adult. I can't be seen with a baby."

"You're not an adult! You still wear footie pajamas like me!" Julie pointed out laughing.

"I'm not a baby like you!" Ace yelled.

"It's enough." AJ warned the two. "And you're both two young to swim in the deep end of the pool so you can keep each other company in the baby side." she smirked.

"Is Grandma coming with us?" Julie asked hopefully.

"Nope." Punk told her.

"What about Glamma?" Ace asked and AJ rolled her eyes.

"I've asked you not to call Bonnie that a hundred times and no. She's absolutely not coming." AJ said sternly. "It's just the four of us."

"This is special times there might be a time where there's more of us-" Punk began.

"Oh, no!" Ace yelled. "You're not having a baby are you?"

"So what if I was?" AJ asked with a laugh.

"Julie is still a baby! We can't have another!" Ace argued.

"Call me a baby one more time!" Julie yelled balling up her fist and shaking it.

"No hitting." Punk warned his daughter. "And if we decide to have another baby you're going to love that baby as much as you love each other."

"I don't really love Ace." Julie shrugged.

"That's a lie. You kept asking for Ace when I picked you up." Punk smirked.

"She cried on my shirt." Ace groaned.

"And you hugged her until she felt better, Grandma told me." AJ teased her son. "So you two do love each other and when you're a little older you both will be best friends."

"I doubt it." Ace said simply.

"You know, your mother and I are only children." Punk told them. "We would have loved siblings."

"Absolutely." AJ nodded in agreement.

"So who did you talk to?" Julie asked them. "I talk to Ace when I'm sad or scared."

"We talked to each other." AJ told them. "Your daddy and I grew up as neighbors." she told them fondly. "And I would talk to your Grandma but I would have loved a big brother or sister."

"You're not missing much." Ace said to his mother seriously.

"I think you two would be lonely without the other." Punk said as Julie rested against him and she tried to keep her tired eyes open.

"Can I take Larry for a walk?" Ace asked them.

"No." Punk said to him. "You can take a walk with me and Larry though." he told him and Ace jumped off the couch. "You want to come with us Julie Bean?"

"No, I'm sleepy. I'll stay with mommy so she's not lonely." Julie said crawling over into AJ's lap and snuggling with her.

"My girl." AJ smiled kissing her head.

"Ready!" Ace said holding Larry's leash.

* * *

Punk, Ace and Larry turned right and without Punk seeing, William Devile was hidden in the bushes and peering through the window right into the living room.

"She's always with one of these kids!" William hissed quietly putting his cigarette out under the window. "I'll see you soon Attorney Mendez." He said pressing his face to the glass before departing.


	34. Short and Sweet

**Short and Sweet**

* * *

" _Do my ears deceive me?" Punk asked walking into his and AJ's home at close to midnight. "Is the little monster asleep?" he asked with a grin._

" _He is." AJ smirked looking up from her laptop._

" _You drug him?" Punk asked seriously. Ace was truly in his terrible two's. He was constantly screaming and throwing tantrums and was up at all hours of the night._

" _No." AJ laughed a bit and looked at him closer and he frowned.  
"What the hell happened?" He asked eyeing her red neck. _

" _Some psycho in court wasn't pleased when he was found not guilty." She said with a light smile and Punk gently inspected her neck._

" _How does that fucking happen? Where were the court guards?" Punk asked annoyed._

" _They were there which is why I'm not dead." She teased a bit but he frowned. "It's fine." She whispered grabbing his hand._

" _It doesn't look it." He said sitting next to her._

" _I had this big plan for tonight." AJ sighed with a bitter laugh and he frowned. "I was going to leave Ace at your mom's and set up a big dinner with candles and get my hair and makeup done."_

" _I don't need all that." Punk said brushing it off._

" _When was the last time we had a night alone?" She asked him._

" _I don't know." Punk said trying to remember._

" _And now it's just going to be double difficult." She said with a tear coming down her face. "And life is unexpected and I always worry about you working but today my face turned blue-"_

 _"You turned blue? How long were you being choked?" He asked concerned. "Who was the judge?"_

 _"Phil, that's not the point." She said shaking her head._

" _I'm pregnant." She whispered._

" _What?" He asked surprised. "I thought we were going to wait a bit longer."_

" _Well, here we are." She said simply and he smiled._

" _Are you sure?" He asked and she slid over a pregnancy test._

" _That's one of four I took." She informed him._

" _Wow. For someone just saying we don't get alone time we must have gotten some time together." He teased a bit. "Aren't you happy?"_

 _"Of course I'm happy." She said as tears streamed down her face. "I've just had an emotional day."_

 _"Hey, come here." He said cupping her face and gently kissing her lips. "I love you. This is a good thing. Unexpected- but good."_

 _"I love you so much." AJ sniffled. "I was scared today." she whispered. "I have Ace and I have you and I have this new baby and in a flash it could have been all gone."_

 _"You have every right to be scared." Punk said to her. "You know, being a DA really puts a target on your back. Maybe after this one is born you look into stepping back."_

 _"I can't." She said to him. "I promised to help protect this City and if I step down after only a year I'll be letting everyone down."_

" _Why didn't you call me today?" Punk asked her._

" _I'm sick of running and crying to you." She said to him shaking her head. "I'm just super emotional."_

" _You've been running and crying to me since we were kids, same with me." he reminded her. "Don't hold back from me. You need me, you call me. When I need you I call you. That's how this has worked our entire lives."_

" _I know." She whispered quietly._

" _You're really having my baby?" He asked with a grin._

" _It's either yours or the Mayors." She teased with a straight face and he glared at her._

" _It's all fun and games until I go to prison for killing that handsy son of a bitch." Punk warned her with a grin and AJ laughed._

" _You're the only baby daddy I have." She assured him then kissed him._

 _As the kiss got hot and heavy and he began to remove her baggy sweater from her shoulders Punk pulled away from the kiss for a moment._

" _The little monster is sleeping for sure, right?" Punk asked seriously and she laughed as they stood up and began to remove each others clothing._

" _Don't call my precious baby boy a monster." She giggled._

" _Monster." Punk mouthed in a scared face._

* * *

"What are you doing?" Punk asked quietly coming up behind AJ who was peering into Julie's room.

"Julie had a nightmare so Ace decided to sleep on the floor to make sure she wouldn't get scared again." AJ grinned proudly. "Look how cute." she pointed into the room and Punk peered in and nodded proudly.

"My boy is a good brother." Punk said then pulled her away from the door. "What was her nightmare about?"

"Oscar the Grouch stole Teddy from her." She told him and he laughed. "And then Ace tried to get it back for her and Oscar then stole Ace from her."

"And you were worried they would never get along." Punk teased following her into the kitchen.

"I have to talk to you." She told him sitting him down.

"Oh, boy." Punk sighed. "This never ends well."

"When has one of these talks ended badly?" She asked amused.

"I don't know I just don't like your tone." Punk said sitting down.

"I want to hand in my papers." She told him eagerly sitting down. "I want to be home with the kids more."

"Do it." Punk said without hesitation. "We've been talking about it for a while. I thought we were-" he stopped and eyed her. "Did I knock you up again?"

"Wow." She laughed. "You are so classy."

"Did I?" He asked and she began to open her mouth. "No Mayor jokes." he warned.

"You did." She smiled and he stoop up and slapped his hand against the table proudly and she jumped into his arms.

"Baby Brooks #3 is on the way." She told him happily.

"Wow. Just as we finally got Julie and Ace to get along we're going to turn their worlds upside down." he had to laugh.

"They'll adapt." AJ smiled. "We'll wait a little bit to tell them. It's still early I'm sure."

"Yea, we'll wait then crush them." Punk teased. "Unlike them, I'm thrilled."

"Me too." She smiled. "And I've been waiting for you to celebrate." she whispered leaning down and kissing him.

"The monsters are for sure sleeping?" He asked pulling away.

"Stop calling them that." She warning trying not to laugh loud.

"Dad." Ace greeted with a yawn and AJ unwrapped her legs from around Punk and he placed her on the floor.

"Tired of sleeping on the floor, buddy?" AJ asked.

"No. I can't leave Julie I made her a promise but it isn't being a big brother." Ace sighed and Punk smiled.

"No it isn't." Punk agreed.

"You want something to drink before you go back to bed?" AJ asked.

"I just need to talk to dad." Ace said.

"And not me?" AJ asked slightly offended.

"It's a guy thing I'm sure." Punk said to AJ who frowned.

"But I'm his-" AJ began and Punk eyed her. "Fine." AJ said trying to hide her hurt. "I'm going to check on Julie and then get your bed ready."

"Mom, I have to stay with Julie I promised." Ace groaned.

"Fine. I'll get you some extra blankets and pillows." AJ said walking away.

"What's going on?" Punk asked grabbing a bottle of water.

"I saw Kevin's dad today." Ace told him and Punk's face fell.

"Where?" Punk asked coldly.

"He was at the playground during school." Ace shrugged and passed him an envelope. "He asked me to give you this."

"Did he say or do anything to you?" Punk asked as he crouched down to be eye level with his son. Punk would be able to tell if he was lying.

"No." Ace said confused. "Why?"

"I need you to do me a favor, if you see Kevin's dad again you have to call me." Punk said to him.

"Why?" Ace asked.

"I just want to talk to him." Punk told him simply. "Nothing for you to worry about."

"Is his dad a bad man?" Ace asked curiously.

"No." Punk hated lying to his son but he didn't want to scare him.

"Are you sure? Why can't I go to Kevin's?" Ace asked.

"Hey, we're leaving for vacation tomorrow so you don't have to worry about any of this we'll talk about it later." Punk said brushing it off.

"Fine." Ace groaned. "But-"

"But nothing. There's nothing for you to worry about. But thank you for giving this to me." he said to Ace and kissed the top of his head. "You better get back to bed before Julie wakes up looking for you."

"She's a pain in my butt." Ace groaned.

"And she always will be." Punk smirked. "But that's your sister and that's what sisters do. You'll love her no matter what though. You're a great big brother and I am very proud of you."

"Really?" Ace asked with a big smile and Punk nodded.

"Go get some sleep now." Punk said ruffling his hair and then Ace took off.

Once he heard Ace and AJ he opened the envelope which was just a photo and it was a photo of AJ. An old photo, a photo from eight years ago. It was AJ sitting at the bar with Maria. The picture was dated and William was making it very clear now what he was focused on but he knew it was AJ all along. He used his kids to get his attention.

"What's that?" AJ asked.

"Nothing." Punk said and AJ snatched the picture before he could hide it.

"What's this from?" She asked. "This was forever ago!" she smiled.

"Ace gave it to me." he told her and AJ eyed him. "He got it from William."

"William Devile was near our son again?" AJ asked coldly.

"Saw him at school." Punk said to her and AJ sucked in a breath as she studied the picture.

"I'm going to kill him with my bare hands if he goes near one of my children again." AJ said coldly.

"Ape-" he began.

"Do not tell me to calm down. This is outrageous! I don't want him using our son or daughter against me!" she yelled.

"We're getting the hell out of town." He reminded her.

"I can't let this go." She said to him.

"And we won't." He told her. "But his daddy, like usual, is his hiding him out and every cop is out looking for him. We are getting out of town with our children and we don't have to worry about him for a week."

"Why aren't you freaking out more?" She asked him.

"Because I'm having a third baby and I'm going on vacation with my wife and kids." He said simply. "I can cancel our trip and drive around and look for him or I can pack up my family and know they're safe because we'll be far out of town having a good time."

"Why does he have this picture?" AJ asked worriedly.

"He's a fucking pervert that's why." Punk said taking the picture back. "I'm going to protect you. You know this right?"

"At what cost?" She asked.

"At ANY cost." He told her seriously. "You know I'd lay my life down for yours no questions asked."

"I can't risk that." She said to him seriously. "I can't be a mother of three and a widow."

"You won't be. You know better than anyone that William Devile doesn't target men- at all." He reminded her. "He's never touched a guy once."

"I know." She whispered.

"It's you I'm worried about. Not me and not the kids. He doesn't go after kids." He reminded her.

"I just-" She began.

"We're going away." He reminded her with a smile trying to ease her stress. Stress was the last thing she needed. He wasn't going to let William Devile taint this pregnancy for her like he and Henderson did with Ace's.

"But-" She began.

"But nothing." He said cutting her off. "Actually the only butt I want is yours." he whispered and she blushed.

"I don't think I'm in the mood." She said shaking her head.

"Ape, don't let him ruin this moment for us. Don't give him that power." Punk said to her. "We have two beautiful children thanks to my genetics." he said in a serious voice and AJ tried not to laugh right in his face. "And now we'll have a third child to favor me over you."  
"Are you trying to make me feel worse?" She asked and he laughed.

"I'm teasing you." He said wrapping his arms around her.

"What do you want?" She asked.

"You, naked, in bed-" He began and she covered his mouth with her hand and laughed.

"I mean baby wise." She said to him.

"Baby." he nodded. "Not an alien, even though that seems pretty cool." He teased again.

"Boy or girl?" She asked.

"Boy or girl." He repeated. "Healthy, happy and your laugh."

"Your eyes." She smiled.

"We got lucky, both our kids have my eyes." He said seriously and she laughed. "And your laugh. But Julie is a little AJ clone."

"She had a really good day at school by the way. Proudly walking around with Teddy." AJ told him.

"I never doubted my girl." Punk grinned proudly.

"She's super sensitive though. It worries me." She admitted.

"She's a baby. And she's a little girl and little girls are supposed to be. You never got to be because you were too busy being an adult even at her age and mothering your own mother." He reminded her.

"I love Julie just the way she is though. I love that she depends on us and her big brother." AJ smiled warmly.

"Me too. My little girl. Forever." he told her and AJ rolled her eyes.

"She will be growing up and-" AJ began.

"Don't start with the boyfriend shit again." He warned her. "You know it makes me angry."

"But the thought of Ace getting older and dating doesn't bother you?" She asked.

"It's a double standard and I know it." Punk admitted. "But Julie is my little Julie bean. I can't let someone break her heart."

"Between you and Ace she is going to have a hard time finding a boyfriend." AJ sighed.

"That's absolutely right." Punk smiled proudly.

"Alright." AJ said pulling away from him.

"Bed time?" He asked eagerly.

"Packing time." She corrected and his face fell. "I packed the kids. We just have a few more things-" She began but he scooped her up.

"After." Punk said carrying up the stairs.


	35. Epilogue

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I am so relieved to have finally completed this! Maybe I can come up with something about more fresh now.**

* * *

 **Epilogue**

* * *

" _Maybe we should call your mom one more time." AJ said to Punk as they took their seats._

" _We called her three times and have been out of the house for seven minutes. That's how long it took us to get here." Punk groaned._

" _It's our first night leaving Ace." AJ frowned. "I'm having understandable anxiety."_

" _It's fine." Punk sighed. "He's four months old and he loves spending time with my mom, relax."_

 _"I'm at my high school reunion how can I relax? Why am I even here?" She asked._

" _Because you are one of the most successful graduates from this school." Punk mocked. "Not everyone graduated and became District Attorney of the City." He smirked._

" _I'm not District Attorney." She reminded him._

" _Yet." He said smugly. "You will be. And this kind of stuff looks great for voters."_

 _"I don't want everything I do to be because I'm looking for votes." She told him. "I'd rather be home with Ace."_

 _"Ace needs a mommy break." Punk said to her and AJ frowned. "And you need a break too."_

" _I was hoping our first official night off we'd rent a motel room and just have sex until we passed out." She said to him with a shrug._

" _The night is young." He reminded her._

" _Little April Mendez." A voice greeted and AJ looked up and saw Jason Miller._

" _Hi, Jason." AJ greeted and stood up and he hugged her._

 _Punk rolled his eyes as he sipped his drink. Punk drove AJ and Jason to the spring dance one year and even though he threatened Jason to be on his best behavior, they snuck out of the dance and slept together._

" _You look ravishing." Jason said eyeing her from head to toe._

" _Thank you, you look great as well." AJ said then looked at Punk. "Jason, do you remember Phil?"_

 _"Punk? Your neighbor who threatened to throw me out of a window if I touched you?" Jason asked mockingly. "Vaguely."_

 _"I owe you a trip out a window." Punk remarked coldly._

" _Stop."AJ whispered at her husband as she sat back down._

" _She wasn't your property." Jason said to Punk._

" _No, but she is my wife." Punk responded and AJ sighed. She knew where this was going to go._

" _Not at the time. And all your threats did is push us into bed together." Jason said to him. "It was a great time."_

 _"You're already drunk and this thing has barely started, I see your life went places." Punk said to him and AJ sucked in a breath._

" _I thought you had a thing for her but you were so much older turns out you did have a thing for her." Jason said laughing._

" _I was protecting her from losers, like yourself." Punk said to him._

" _A loser she let fuck her for the first time." Jason remarked proudly and Punk stood up._

" _Phil." AJ whispered grabbing his arm but he jerked it away._

" _I wonder how the press is going to feel about the future district attorney's husband threatening young high school kids?" Jason asked._

" _I'm not the one running. Chicago knows all it needs to know about me." Punk reminded him._

" _An overeager Detective who holds his wife purse while she brings home the bacon." Jason laughed and Punk laughed then grabbed him by the shirt._

" _You want to push me?" Punk asked him going nose to nose._

" _It's not worth it." AJ said standing up behind Punk. "I knew coming here was a bad idea. This guy just wants a cheap headline."_

" _You're right. I'm not going to let him get to me." Punk said proud of himself and adjusted his jacket._

" _The only thing cheap was you." Jason said to AJ and before she could respond Punk swung and punched Jason right in the jaw sending him crashing to the floor._

" _I also won't let him insult my wife." Punk said glaring at the man holding his jaw. "Put that on the front page." he turned around and saw AJ glaring at him.  
"This is who I am." he said simply and she gave him a half a smile. _

" _I know." She said taking his hand. "Let's get the hell out of here."_

* * *

Punk wandered down the stairs after carefully crawling out of his bed where he left AJ sleeping. He passed by Julie's room and saw the door was still closed. It was three in the morning and he was dying of thirst. As he entered the kitchen he noticed the back door leading to the yard was opened on a crack and Punk froze. He looked around without physically moving and didn't want to chance going back up stairs to get his gun out of the safe. He grabbed the baseball bat that was in the closet and slowly inspected around the down stairs. He then realized he needed to check on the kids but when he heard ruffling of the leaves outside he knew someone was out there.

Punk crept as quietly as possible to the backdoor and slowly pushed the door open further. He heard more ruffling by the fence but couldn't see anything because it was too dark, he could see someone had a flashlight on them and Punk was eager because he knew he was going to William Devile now. Punk heard more noise by the trashcan and raised the bat but made noise when doing so causing the a little figure to scream out from behind the trash can.

"Ah!" Julie screamed so loudly that it scared Punk into dropping the bat immediately. "Go away! My daddy and mommy eat bad people!" she warned tucking behind the trashcan.

"Julie it's me." Punk hissed and she poked her out. "And we don't eat bad-" he stopped himself and shook his head. "What are you doing out here?" He asked grabbing her and picking her up. "We talked about this!"

"I had to make sure Oscar wasn't in the trashcan!" Julie argued. "He stole Ace and Teddy from me."

"That was a dream." Punk groaned shaking his head as he held onto his daughter but picked up her flashlight.

"Teddy!" she cried out pointing and Punk bent over to pick up the teddy bear. "I had to prove I wasn't a scardy cat."

"Julie, you know better" He said annoyed walking back into the house and putting her down and closed and locked the door.

"Were you going to hit me with the bat?" Julie asked curiously.

"No." He scoffed realizing he left the bat outside. "But you scared me!"

"I did!?" She asked gleefully. "I've never scared anyone ever!" She cheered.

"Julie." Punk warned and she frowned.

"Sorry, daddy." Julie shrugged.

"Baby, do you know why you can't go outside without me or your mom?" Punk asked and Julie shrugged. "It's way too late to have this conversation."

"I don't want to be a chicken baby." Julie insisted. "I had to tell Oscar to go away. I want to be brace like Ace and you and mommy."

"You are brave." Punk sighed sitting down at the table next to her. "But you have to pick and choose your battles too. And being brave isn't the same as breaking the rules. It's not brave to do things you know you shouldn't."

"I wasn't even thinking about that. I was thinking I was going to be strong." Julie told Punk who gave her a weak smile. "I hate being the baby."

"Enjoy it while you can." Punk warn ominously. "And no one thinks you're a baby."

"You just called me a baby." Julie pointed out pouting.

"What's the rush to grow up?" Punk sighed. "I mean, you are my baby and so is Ace. Just because I say baby doesn't mean I think you're a baby."

"I want to be a grown up." Julie told him. "I don't want to be a scardy cat and I want to go outside by myself."

"Ace doesn't even go outside by himself." Punk pointed out. "You're going to be grown so enough. Just take your time. And do you know why you don't go out  
by yourself?"

"Because I'm a baby?" She asked mockingly.

"No. Because you're still learning. There's a whole world out there and there's SO much you need to learn before I feel good about letting you out there without me." Punk told her.

"What's to learn? I can cross the street." Julie shrugged and he smiled.

"There's a lot to learn." Punk warned her. "The world isn't scary but sometimes it can deceive you and seem that way if you don't know all it is you need to. It's my job to teach you."

"What is going on?" AJ asked walking into the kitchen.

"Daddy was going to hit me with a bat!" Julie stated dramatically.

"She was outside and I didn't know it was her and I wasn't going to hit her. I'd sooner cut off my own arm." he said to his daughter and she smiled.

"What were you doing outside, Julianna?" AJ asked her daughter using her full name and Julie's eyes widened fearfully. She rarely got full named.

"I was standing up to Oscar the grouch!" She told her mother proudly. "I won't let him take Teddy or Ace away from me. I'm brave like you."

"You are brave. You're the bravest and prettiest little girl I've ever known." AJ told her proudly. "And I think it's great you went to face your fears but part of being a family means you don't have to face your fears alone."

"Yea." Punk nodded along wishing he thought of that first. "We do stuff together."

"And not in the middle of the night when you know better." AJ added.

"Sorry mommy." Julie said to her. "Oscar wasn't even there!"

"I bet he wasn't." AJ smirked. "But there was a kitty cat." she told her parents with a smile.

"Did you touch it?" Punk groaned.

"Yes I pet it." Julie told him almost smugly. "I like kitty cats."

"Wash your hands." Punk told her. "Really good. Did it bite you?"

"No." Julie said pushing her chair by the sink and standing on it to wash her hands.

"We have a big day tomorrow." Punk reminded her and she smiled. "Well, actually in a few hours."

"I better get back to bed." Julie said to herself climbing off the chair.

"Hey." Punk said stopping her. "No more late night wandering."

"Got it." Julie nodded.

"I love you." He told her and she smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Night daddy." She said then skipped off.

"Night to you too." AJ said as her daughter just passed her. "This new one is going to love me more."

"Stop." Punk laughed. "She worries me." he sighed.

"She always worries you. You're little baby girl." AJ teased. "I remember when that guy made a comment about her picture."

"The fucking pervert?" He asked annoyed. "He's lucky I didn't snap his fucking neck."

"He wasn't a pervert." AJ laughed fixing the chairs. "He was arrested for unpaid parking tickets!"

"Pervert." Punk corrected.

* * *

" _How am I getting off of work from you?" AJ asked standing over Punk's desk._

" _I know we had dinner reservations-" He began._

" _It's not just that, Bonnie is watching the kids and I'm terrified." AJ told him seriously._

" _Bonnie is great with the kids." Punk smirked._

" _The only reason I let her watch them is because Julie is in her terrible twos." AJ told him seriously and he laughed._

" _She's not terrible. She's an angel." Punk corrected._

" _Oh, you have her new picture up." AJ said picking up the framed photo of Julie from her second birthday photos._

" _Of course I do." He said typing at his computer._

" _And you have a picture of Ace and Larry." She noted putting the picture down. "Who is missing?"_

 _"You my dear." Punk smiled broadly. "Intentionally. I don't need anyone telling me how hot my wife is."_

 _"Right." She scoffed._

 _A man was cuffed to the desk behind Punk's facing it and saw the photo AJ put down._

" _What a cute little girl." The man said and Punk jerked his head._

" _The fuck you say?" Punk asked standing up._

" _Cute little girl." The man repeated louder and slower for Punk in a sarcastic voice. "How old is she? Two? Three?"_

 _Punk grabbed the guy up causing his wrist to hit against the cuff._

" _Look at that picture again and make one more fucking comment." Punk hissed in the man's face._

" _Phil!" AJ yelled trying to pry her off the man who laughed._

" _Punk!" Cody yelled running over and pulling them apart._

" _Perverts should be locked up! Not sitting in here!" Punk yelled._

" _He's in for parking tickets!" Cody yelled back._

* * *

"He was in for parking tickets." AJ reminded him.

"Yea fucking right." Punk snapped. "Fucking looking at pictures of my two year old? Fuck that guy."

"Alright, enough. Make sure she actually went to bed." AJ ordered him.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"I need water and a piece of cake." She shrugged.

"I have to get the bat I dropped outside." Punk said to her.

"I'll get it." She told him. "Just make sure they're both in bed because it's a long car ride and I don't need them in bad moods bitching four three hours." She told him.

"Fine." he said walking out of the kitchen.

* * *

AJ walked over to the garbage can and didn't see the bat anywhere. She felt the bat being held to her throat from behind and she began to choke as she was dragged further into the yard.

"You fucking scream I'm going to go into your house and kill everyone inside of it." William hissed into her ear. "Do you fucking hear me!" He hissed louder and she just nodded. "Eight years." He whispered pulling her behind the tree and tossing her roughly onto the ground.

AJ turned onto her stomach and attempted to crawl away but he flipped her back over and lifted his bat and almost crushed her head with it.

"I swear to god I will beat you to death and fuck you like that. I don't give a shit." He told her calmly and honestly.

"Just relax." AJ insisted holding her hands up.

"I'm so fucking relaxed." He grinned.

"Phil is upstairs and he's awake. He's going to come out here and I promise you he will kill you." AJ warned him quietly. "Run now."

"This won't take long." He said tugging his shorts down and springing out. "Fuck I've been hard for eight years." he said dropping down and tugging at her sleeping shorts.

"Stop fucking fighting me!" He yelled pulling the shorts down. "I swear to god I will go inside and take out those fucking kids." he said coldly and AJ's eyes turned cold now.

AJ reached for the bat but he caught her and they began to struggle. All of the sudden William fell forward and Punk was standing over him.

"Get the fuck off her." Punk hissed swinging him backwards.

"I'm ok." AJ said tugging up her shorts knowing Punk was going to explode.

Punk pulled the trigger and AJ gasped fearfully. Killing William in their home would scar Punk for life whether he wanted to admit it or not.

"You almost shot my dick off!" William yelled as Punk shot in-between his legs just narrowly missing his dick.

"Let me try again." Punk said pulling his gun back.

"Don't!" AJ begged.

"You didn't think I'd see you out here?" Punk hissed. "I wouldn't hear you!" He said picking up the bat and hitting him as hard as he could in groin causing William to scream in pain.

"Jesus!" William sobbed as Punk hit him again.

"Dad?" A voice asked from the backdoor and Punk froze as did AJ.

"Ace! Go inside!" AJ yelled running to him.

"Is that-" Ace began.

"Can't kill me now." William smiled. "Nice kid you got." he laughed through his pain.

"I can't kill you but I am going to make sure you are in prison for the rest of your life. No Henderson to bail you out anymore." Punk grinned kneeling over him. "You are going to wish I fucking killed you when they get done with you in prison."

"Fuck you!" William yelled and Punk hit him again.

"Keep fucking pushing me." Punk warned him. "Going after AJ before wasn't a big deal in the eyes of the law. She was just another potential victim now you assaulted the District Attorney of Chicago." He reminded him. "That's a big fucking deal and carries a long god damn sentence." he whispered to him. "I'm going to make sure I visit often." He smiled. "I'm going to make sure your new buddies in prison think you're a fucking rat and cop friend. You are fucking done. Gen pop isn't going to treat you well."

* * *

Later that night after the cops came for William, took AJ's statement and she was looked over at the hospital her and Punk came home and Ace was sitting on the couch with his arms folded.

"You're home!" Julie cheered running to Punk.

"I'm here too." AJ said narrowing her eyes teasingly at her daughter.

"I missed you too." Julie smiled.

"Were you good for Grandma?" Punk asked.

"I was an angel." Julie grinned proudly. "Ace has been a poopy head."

"He's just really quiet." Jenny told them.

"What about vacation?" Julie pouted.

"Late start. We're leaving tomorrow." AJ promised her.

"Could you take her upstairs? Make sure she's all packed up?" Punk asked passing Julie to Jenny who smiled.

"Of course." Jenny said knowing they wanted time with Ace.

"Ace?" Punk asked sitting next to him on the couch and he didn't respond and looked up at AJ who sat on the coffee table across from him.

"Buddy? What's going on?" AJ asked him.

"I saw Kevin's dad hit you." Ace said to AJ. "Then dad had his gun-"

"I'm sorry you had to see any of that." Punk said to him.

"I asked you if Kevin's dad was a bad man and you told me no but how is he not a bad man?" Ace asked them.

"He is a bad man." AJ told him. "A bad man that your father and I have known for a long time."

"Kevin's a jerk anyway." Ace said folding his arms and looking down.

"Hey, Kevin isn't responsible for his father." Punk told him softly. "He's probably really going to need a friend right now."

"He tried to hurt mom!" Ace yelled.

"But he didn't." AJ told him and tugged his chin a bit so he had to look at her. "I'm sorry if you got scared last night."

"I wasn't scared." Ace huffed.

"I was a bit scared." Punk told him.

"Why is he so bad? He was always nice to me?" Ace asked his parents.

"We don't know why people do the things they do." AJ told him with a sad sigh. "But Kevin's dad has always had some issues."

"And now he's going to get help for those issues." Punk lied and Ace glared at his father.

"He should go to jail! You should have shot him!" Ace yelled.

"Woah." Punk said holding his hand up and shaking his head. "We don't wish death on people no matter how bad they are."

"He was hurting mom!" Ace yelled. "Why didn't you protect her?"

"He did." AJ told him. "Your dad has been protecting me since I was your age." AJ informed him with a light smile. "It takes more restraint to send Kevin's father to jail then to have just hurt him really badly. That's why your dad is a cop and a hero."

"I'm sure last night was confusing." Punk said to Ace.

"It wasn't. Kevin's dad was a bad man and you stopped him." Ace told him simply. "I just don't know why he was bad."

"Again we don't know why bad people do bad things." Punk reminded him. "All I can do is try to stop them."

"Were you hurt?" Ace asked AJ.

"No." AJ assured him shaking her head. "I went to the doctor to make sure."

"Are you sure you're really ok?" He asked his mother nervously and she smiled brightly.

"I don't even have a scratch." She assured him.

"Is he going to jail for a long time?" Ace asked his parents.

"A very long time. You don't have to worry about him." Punk promised him.

"Actually, we have some good news for you." AJ told him and Punk looked at AJ. "We should tell him. Maybe it will distract him."

"Tell me what?" Ace asked curiously.

"Well, remember how I told you that it might not just be you and Julie for much longer?" He asked.

"Are you having a baby?" Ace asked skeptically.

"We are." AJ smiled and Ace couldn't help but smile a bit.

"Really? Is it a girl? I can't have another Julie." Ace told his parents seriously.

"We don't know what the baby is but we're sure you'll love the baby no matter if it's a boy or a girl." Punk told him. "You're going to be a big brother times two now."

"Oh, wow." Ace sighed. "That's a lot."

"Can you handle it?" AJ teased and Ace nodded.

"I'm already the best big brother to Julie." Ace explained.

"You are." Punk agreed.

"Wow." Ace said running his hand through his hair and AJ let out a laugh. "A big brother again."

"That's right." Punk said amused.

"I can do it." Ace said surely.

"We know you can." AJ said to him. "And we love you so much."

"I know." Ace smiled a little.

"I'm sorry you had to see what you saw last night." Punk added and Ace nodded along. "But I'm very proud of you."

"Why? I didn't do anything." Ace pointed out.

"That's the bravest thing you can do sometimes." Punk informed him.

"You think I'll make a good cop one day?" Ace asked.

"I do." Punk told him honestly.

"Cool." Ace smiled jumping off the couch.

"We didn't tell Julie about the baby yet." AJ warned him.

"I won't tell her." Ace promised his parents and hugged AJ before walking away. "I'm glad you're ok." He said kissing her cheek.

"Go make sure you have everything you need packed, we're leaving really early tomorrow." She told Ace who nodded then took off.

"A cop." Punk smiled proudly and AJ just frowned. "Don't be like that."

"It's dangerous." She reminded him.

"Julie wants to be a district attorney just like you and that's fucking dangerous." Punk pointed out defensively.

"It's not the same and you know it." AJ said standing up and Punk followed her into the kitchen. "And I also overheard you suggesting that Julie be a stay at home computer person. That's not even a job."

"I just want her at home where I can watch her." Punk defended and she shook her head. "Are you really ok?"

"I really am." She said turning to face him. "My white knight rushed to my rescue again."

"You know I always will." He smiled.

"Always have." She said reaching up and kissing him. "Do you ever wonder what it would be like if we didn't start our friend with benefits thing? Or if I never  
discovered Bradford was with a man behind my back?"

"I never would have let you marry him." Punk informed her. "You were talking about your wedding and it made me sick."

"Did it?" She asked.

"Ape, come on." Punk said to her with a sly grin. "I would have kidnapped you the night before the wedding or something. It probably would have been more dramatic."

"Do you realize that I've loved you my whole life?" She asked curiously.

"Love me so much you were going to marry another man." Punk pointed out.

"Mommy!" Julie scolded. "How could you!" she said entering the kitchen with Teddy.

"That's a long story for when you're a lot older." AJ told her daughter.

"Oh, man." Julie sighed. "Why wouldn't you marry daddy?"

"I did marry him." AJ smiled.

"Julie took my stuff out of my suitcase and threw it!" Ace shouted.

"Julie." Punk warned his daughter.

"I thought he took Teddy." Julie shrugged.

"I'm going to take Teddy and give him to Oscar!" Ace argued.

"Enough you two." AJ warned them.

"I'm hungry." Julie sighed.

"Me too." Ace groaned.

"McDonalds?" AJ suggested.

"Can you pick something a little less healthier?" Punk asked teasingly.

"I could." AJ warned him. "You know I crave ice-"

"Don't." Punk warned knowing as soon as she said ice cream that's what the kids would insist on eating for dinner.

"Can I go to McDonalds with you, daddy?" Julie asked with a smile holding Teddy.

"How about we all go and dine in." Punk suggested.

"But I have to pack again because of stupid Julie." Ace complained.

"Don't call me stupid!" Julie yelled hitting him with her stuffed bear.

"Enough!" Punk yelled lifting Julie up into the air before Ace could strike back.

"Let's get our shoes and get ready to go because mommy is starving." She told her kids. "And tell Grandma she's coming with us."

"I'll tell Grandma!" Julie said as Punk put her down.

"I'll tell her because I'm her favorite." Ace told Julie.

"No, I'm her favorite!" Julie argued back.

"She tells me all of the time!" Ace lied.

"Grandma!" Julie sobbed running up the stairs and Ace chased after her.

"Wow I can't wait until our third is thrown in the mix." Punk warned her.

"I'm excited for it." AJ smiled. "We have it all."

"I know we do." He agreed as he kissed her. "Thank you for giving me the normal life I thought I'd never have or wanted."

"You're welcome." She grinned. "Thank you for being you. And for telling me to stay."

"Telling you to stay?" He asked.

"When I was going to Tampa." She reminded him.

"I should have told you at the station but you scared the crap out of me. Still do." He told her and nipped at her lips.

"Good." She grinned proudly. "I hope I can be a good stay at home mom."

"You will be. You're good at everything. There's literally nothing you can't do." he said to her. "But are you sure that's what you want?"

"It is. I mean I think we're financially set for life." She smirked. "I made good money I did a lot of good for the City and now I want to raise my kids in peace. I want to give more attention to my husband too."

"I've never cried out for more attention I think you balanced everything great. But I won't complain about more AJ time." He said to her.

"You better not." She warned. "I do want an adult getaway at some point before baby number 3." she whispered. "Just the two of us before we kiss privacy goodbye for good."

"We get plenty of privacy not that I'm going to talk you out of a long week away alone." He said to her.

"Long weekend." She laughed. "I can't leave my kids for a week."

"Daddy!" Julie sobbed running to him now. "Ace told me you love him more than me!"

"You sure about that?" Punk asked his wife trying not to laugh as he picked up his inconsolable daughter. "Ace tells you that all of the time and I tell you it's not true."

"But he said you really said it this time." Julie cried. "Then you tried to sell me but the people returned me because I was annoying." Punk had to laugh at that one and AJ glared at him. "I would never sell you Julie Bean." he said kissing her cheek. "He's teasing you like he always does."

"Such a baby." Ace smiled proudly walking into the kitchen. "Grandma isn't coming."

"Jenny." AJ said to her as she passed by. "Bring me back something." Jenny said waving it off. "I'm going to repack Ace and Phil."

"Why me?" Punk asked.

"Because you never pack sensibly." Jenny scolded.

"You went through my luggage?" Punk asked offended.

"Mom goes through mine." Ace shrugged.

"Yea." AJ said to him. "Thanks Jenny. She said kissing her cheek.

"Daddy can you tell Ace I'm your favorite so he stops lying?" Julie asked with a sniffle.

"I have no favorites." Punk reminded her walking to the door and putting Julie down.

"Yea, you big fat liar!" Julie said pushing Ace then quickly running outside with him chasing.

"We have to talk about the running outside thing again!" Punk yelled out as Ace chased Julie around the front yard.

"Let them tire each other out." AJ said grabbing his hand. "Besides, there's nothing to worry about right now anyway."

"Yea." Punk agreed watching as Julie picked up a stick and was now chasing Ace with it. "Jesus." He laughed. "She's a smart kid."

"She takes after her mother." AJ told him proudly. "She's tiny but knows how to win a battle."

"Well we better break this battle up before she whacks Ace with the stick." He warned her.

"She'll never catch up to him." AJ laughed as Ace mocked how slow she was. "She also wouldn't really hurt him. Look how cute they are."

"Yea." Punk laughed sarcastically. "Before we try to make it through dinner without bloodshed, are you really sure you're ok?"

"You know me better than anyone. Don't I seem ok?" She asked.

"Yea you do." he said with a bit of frown. "I just hope you're not putting on a front."

"I'm having a third baby with my best friend." She reminded him happily and he grinned. "How could I not be over the moon?"

"You're having a baby with Maria?" He teased.

"You know you've been my best friend since I could walk." She reminded him.

"That's right." He said to her. "That's why we've worked all these years."

AJ pulled him into a surprising kiss and he gleefully responded.

"We want to eat! Stop kissing!" Ace yelled.

"Yea!" Julie added pouting.

"I'll never stop kissing your mom." Punk warned them.

"Ugh." Ace groaned.

"I want a prince too!" Julie cheered and Punk's face dropped as he put her in her car seat.

"No Prince for you. Just read books." Punk said kissing her head.

"You'd annoy a prince." Ace told her.

"I'd like to go the whole six minute drive without hearing one argument." AJ warned the two getting into the car.

Punk climbed into the car himself and smiled a bit. He loved these loud noisy car rides. It just reminded him of the family AJ helped him create.

"You smile now but when we get asked to leave McDonalds again because they start throwing food you won't be." AJ warned under her breath.

"I'm ok with it." he said pulling out of the driveway and then grabbed her hand as they drove and kissed it causing her to smile brightly.


End file.
